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FROM THE LIBRARY OF
REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D.

BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO

THE LIBRARY OF

PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

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KELSO TRACTS

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" Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."
—Rom. v. 20.

" The Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the
promise by faith of Christ Jesus might be given to them
that believe." — Gal. iii. 22.

KELSO:
JOHN RUTHERFURD, MARKET PLACE.

EDINBURGH: J. JOHNSTONE; W.P.KENNEDY; AND C. ZIEGLER.
LONDON: J. NISBET & CO.

MDCCCXLV

GALASHIELS :
PRINTED BY BROCKIE AND JAMi
'BORDER WATCH" OFFICE.

CONTENT S.

Tract

1. The Door of Salvation Opened

2. Tbe Faithful Saying.

3. The Well of Living Water.
V" 4. Jehovah onr Righteousness.

5. Believe and Live.

6. Sin Put Away by Christ.
V 7. Words of Warning.

8. Electing Love.

9. The Works of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in the Scriptures.
V^IO. Now.

11. The First Epistle of John— to Fathers, to Young Men, and to

Little Children.

12. The White Robes, for Sabbath School Children.

13. The Works of the Holy Spirit, as Recorded in the New

Testament.
\r 14. Luther's Conversion.
V* 15. Sin our Enemy, and God our Friend.
16. The Lord's Supper.

V 17. The Anchor of the Soul.

V 18. Do you Go to the Prayer Meeting ?
19. The City of Refuge.

V" 20. Night, Day-break, and Clear-day.

21. Behold He Cometh with Clouds.

22. God's Unspeakable Gift.

23. Salvation to the Uttermost.

24. The Love of the Spirit.

\* 25. Who shall Dwell with the Devouring Fire?

26. Righteous Reconciliation.

27. The Throne of Grace.

28. The True Heart.

11 CONTENTS.

Tract

\r 29. Without God.

\f 30. The False Peace and the True.

•>,/ 31. God's Purpose of Grace.

32. The Chosen One.

33. The Last Time.
y- 34. The Sin-Bearer.

35. The Power of the Gospel.

36. Trihulation.

3/. Grace and Glorv.

PREFACE.

These Tracts were originally designed solely for the benefit
of the Author's congregation, and for his own use, in gene-
ral distribution. He had no idea of the extent which their
circulation was to reach. He sought merely to teach his
own people by them, nor had he any ambitious aim of
writing for a wider circle. He thought of them only as
helps to his own pastoral work, and commenced them as
such. He meant them but as words of instruction to his
flock, words which should speak when his voice was silent,
words which should tell the infinite tale of grace in the
quiet dwellings of his people, perpetuating, not superseding,
the public ministry of the Word, carrying on at home the
work of the pulpit, or the prayer-meeting, or the class,
both in .the closet and in the family. God has been pleased
to own them in many ways, and to give them a much wider
circle to traverse than was reckoned on, or aimed at. To
Him be the glory and the blessing, throughout eternity !

They are rather miscellaneous in their contents, and im-
methodical in respect of order and connection. This arose
from the way in which they commenced, as just stated. No
outline was sketched, no special plan adopted, because no in-
tention was entertained, at the time, of extending the series
to above five or six numbers, instead of the thirty-seven
which it now embraces. Having once begun without a
plan, it became a matter of difficulty, or rather of impossi-

VI PREFACE.

bility, to strike out, or follow one afterwards. Besides, the
desultory method had some advantages of its own, inas-
much as it left the author more unfettered in reference to
subjects. He could more readily .take advantage of passing
circumstances, and direct attention to peculiar topics of im-
portance, without being obliged to smoothe them down into
a consecutiveness which did not belong to them. Had he
been writing a treatise, nothing would have been more pre-
posterous ; but, as he was merely throwing out casual frag-
ments of instruction, there was nothing unsuitable or awk-
ward about the plan. It suited himself best ; and upon the
whole, he believes it was most suitable for his people. It
may be well for the reader of this volume to keep this in
mind, lest he should commence its perusal under the idea
that he is to find in it a regular and consecutive series of trea-
tises and expositions.

But, though these Tracts are not at all arranged in connec-
tion, or after a system, yet they do in some measure hang, the
one upon the other, being knit together by oneness of senti-
ment and thought, if not by regular coherence of plan. There
may be among a hundred fragments, the unity of a pervading
thought, which is to be found in each of them, though not
one of the pieces may properly fit in to, or link on closely
with the other. So we think it will be seen. There is a lead-
ing idea throughout, as any careful reader will soon discover,
and by observing it, he may not only derive more profit
from the Tracts, but be saved, perhaps, from mis-apprehen-
ding and mis-judging the Author.

The leading object of the whole Series may be said to be,
to endeavour to bring out with some fulness, perhaps with
some repetition, the Work of Christ, and the Work of the
Holy Spirit, in reference to the zuants of sinners. There are

PREFACE. Vl l

not a few other points touched, more or less largely, but,
this may be said to be the prominent and ever-recurring
theme, set forth under many various aspects, and embodied
in innumerable passages of the Word of God.

It was found, in conversation with the troubled and
doubting, that much confusion prevailed in their minds, as
to both of these points, the Work of Christ, and the Work
of the Spirit. There seemed a continual tendency to inter-
mingle these two things, and so to subvert both ; to build for
eternity, partly on the one, and partly on the other, and so to
come short of any true and sure establishment of the soul in
grace. Many seemed most perversely bent on taking these
two works as if^they were one compounded work, trying to
build their peace, their forgiveness, their salvation, upon a
mysterious mixture of the two. The external and the in-
ternal were not kept distinct ; the objective and the sub-
jective were confusedly tangled together, so that neither was
understood aright, and both were misapplied. It was not
Christ for us, and the Holy Spirit in us, but it was
Christ and the Holy Spirit together, both for us and in us.
Thus, all was vagueness and indistinctness in reference to
what Christ had done, and in reference to 'what the Holy
Spirit had been sent down to do. Hence, all was darkness
in the soul. There was no peace, for the ground of peace
was not rightly seen ; there was no holiness, for the source
of holiness was but imperfectly apprehended. This Popish
mixture of these two things — " Christ for us, and the Spirit
in us," required to be exposed to view, its unscripturalness
condemned, and its evil influence neutralized.

It is Christ for us, that is our peace. It is the Holy
Spirit in us, that is our regeneration and holiness. Woe
be to the soul that intermingles these two, and seeks to rest

Vlll PREFACE.

his peace and hope, partly on what Christ has done for him,
and partly on what the Spirit is doing in him. *

In consequence of this attempt to separate what had been
so sadly confused and mixed together in the minds of many
with whom he conversed, the Author's meaning has been
exposed to much mis-construction, and a sense put upon one
of his Tracts against which he most strongly protests, — a
sense, which he cannot help calling a most unfair one, — a
sense, which, when he wrote the Tract, he never so much as
dreamt of, — a sense, which is not only contradicted in the
body of the Tract itself, but, most explicitly and repeatedly
set aside in the other numbers of the Series. It was written
before certain new doctrines arose, with wkich it has been
supposed to coincide, when larger liberty of speech was al-
lowable, because not liable to misinterpretation. Subse-
quent controversies may have led some to put a less favour-
able construction upon it. But, is this just or charitable ?
What work almost is there, written anterior to an age of
controversy, that will stand the rigid test of a terminology,
framed to meet the exigencies of subsequent discussion, and

* " Some are all their days laying the foundation, and are never able
to build upon it, to any comfort to themselves or usefulness to others.
And the reason is, because they will be mixing with the foundation
stones that are only fit for the building. They will be bringing their
obedience, duties — mortification of sin and the like, unto the founda-
tion. These are precious stones to build with, but unmeet to be first
laid to bear upon them the whole weight of the building. The founda-
tion is to be laid in mere grace, mercy, pardon, in the blood of Jesus
Christ : this the soul is to accept of and rest in merely as it is grace,
without the consideration of anything in itself, but that it is sinful and
obnoxious to ruin. This it finds a difficulty in, and would gladly have
something of its own to mix in it ; it cannot tell how to fix these foun-
dation stones, without some cement of its own endeavours and duty,
and because these things will not mix, they spend fruitless efforts about
it all their days.'" — Owen on (he 130th Psalm.

PREFACE. IX

to oppose errors, which were not till then in existence ?
Besides, is it right to tear off a single leaf from a man's
book, — a book of more than three hundred pages, — and to
hold it up to view as a full statement of all that he believes
on a particular point, regardless of the most distinct expla-
nations in a hundred other parts, — more especially, when
one of his chief designs was to isolate each topic as much as
possible, not in order to disjoin them in reality, but merely
for the sake of clearness and explicitness, to present them
separately to the reader ?

It is only, then, by setting distinctly forth the Work of
Christ for us, and the Work of the Spirit in us, that we can
really present tjie sinner with what he needs. As abso-
lutely helpless and unholy, he needs an Almighty Spirit to
new-create him. As condemned and accursed, he needs a
Divine substitute and peace-maker. And in making known
the latter, we preach the Gospel. For the Gospel is the
good news of what another has done for us. It is not sent
to tell me what to do, but to tell me what God has clone.
If it only made known what I had to do or to feel, it would
be no Gospel to me, for there would still remain a vast gulf
between it and me ; but it comes to make known to me
what God has clone, — has done so completely, that he has
left nothing for me to do, but merely to take possession of a
purchased gift.

And in setting forth the work of the Spirit, we are
called upon to be careful on the one hand, to shew the
necessity for the direct and special operation of His
power, and on the other, to guard the sinner against rest-
ing upon the Spirit's work, as if it were part of the founda-
tion on which he builds for heaven. The work in us, how-
ever deep and decisive, can never pacify our consciences or

X PREFACE.

reconcile us to God. It can never make, or maintain, our
peace. It cannot be our resting-place, or our Saviour.
Convictions, feelings, prayers, repentance, duties, can never
be our peace. No fruits of the Spirit, however precious,
can ever make us acceptable before God. Nor, as too
many seem to suppose, is it our faith, that is our peace or
our salvation. Neither as an act of our own, nor as a
fruit of the Spirit, can our faith be our Saviour. It is said
to save us, simply because it is a giving ourselves up to
Christ to be saved by him. It excludes not only works,
but its own self, in the matter of salvation. It is what we
believe, not our act of believing, that saves us. On this
point, an old writer thus speaks : — " Faith, a.s we have often
heard, rests upon Christ alone. It in effect excludes itself
as a work, in the matter of justification. It is not a thing
upon which a sinner rests : it is his resting on the Surety.
Therefore, that man who would bring in his faith, as part of
his justifying righteousness before God, thereby proves
that he has no faith in Jesus Christ. He comes as with a
lie in his right hand; for such is the absurdity, that he
trusts in the act of his faith, and not in its object, i. e., he
believes in his faith, not in Jesus Christ. Having taken
Christ, as he pretends, he would have that very act where-
by he received him, sustained at the divine tribunal, as his
righteousness. Thus Christ is bid to stand at a distance,
and the sinner's own act is by himself bid to come near, in
the case of justification. This is nothing else but works
under another name. It is not faith ; for that necessarily
establishes grace. This being a matter of the utmost im-
portance, we cannot be too plain or precise upon it. The
proud deceitful heart of man has a diabolical dexterity, so
to speak, in destroying the doctrine of grace, and therewith

PREFACE. XI

iiimself. The sinner will seek a thousand lurking holes at
the foot of Sinai, burning as it is, rather than repair to Mount
Zion. Men may dispute with others, and deceive themselves
as they will, but as Christ's surety-righteousness only would
be sustained as satisfactory to law and justice, so nothing
but it can support a sinner at a dying hour. Everything
else will then be swept away as a refuge of lies, and the
sinner, not in Christ, exposed to one eternal storm."*

It is of the utmost moment that these things be attended
to, otherwise we shall never present the Gospel in any
really tangible shape. Nay, we shall so confound things
that differ, that they to whom it is preached shall not be
able to see in it any glad tidings at all. With much that
is evangelical, both in phrase and sentiment, in our state-
ments, we may yet miss the real point and burden of the
Gospel, and so leave men nearly as much in the dark as if
we had set them upon providing a righteousness for them-
selves. And as, in -these last days, there are so many re-
fuges of lies, within which sinners have entrenched them-
selves, it becomes all the more necessary to let men see
what the real refuge is, and how secure a hiding-place
from the storm it affords to any sinner that will only avail
himself of its divinely-erected shelter.
. For thus only it is that any thing like true religion can
exist. A man may be anxious, solemn, earnest, and yet
have nothing of what God can recognize as religion. So
long as he is mistaking the way of acceptance, he cannot
have what God calls religion. For he has not yet got
upon the foundation, he does not as yet know the way of
approaching God, the only way in which God will receive
him. Therefore his worship cannot be acceptable, for he
* Bell on the Covenants.

Xll PREFACE.

himself is not yet accepted. And how can there be true
religion, where the worshipper and the worship are alike
unacceptable ? The idea which many have of religion is,
that it is a most necessary and becoming thing, by means of
which they hope, in course of time, to work themselves
into God's favour, and so to obtain forgiveness before they
die. But this is man's religion, not God's. It has no
resemblance to that in which God delights, and which
alone he will accept. Its chief feature is a direct contra-
diction to that which the Bible presents to us. It is an
entire inversion of God's order. It ends with securing for-
giveness, whereas God's religion begins with securing it.
Man's religion is just a series of solemn efforts to recom-
mend himself to the favour of God, in which efforts the
only recommendation which God will acknowledge, that is,
the Work of His own Son, is lost sight of. God's religion,
on the other hand, is the holy self-sacrificing life of one
who having secured forgiveness and favour at the very out-
set, simply, in believing the record which God has given
of his Son, is walking with Him in the calm consciousness
of being entirely accepted, and working for Him all the
day long, with the delighted eagerness of one whose only
reward for toil is the smile of love ; who having been much
forgiven, loveth much, and is seeking to shew forth by a life-
time's untiring service, how much he feels himself a debtor
to the grace of a redeeming God.

Kelso, October, 1846.

•■

No. 1.

THE DOOR OFSALVATIOxN OPENED

77ie everlasting Door of Mercy and Salvation opened; or a loud and
shrill voice from heaven to unregenerate sinners on- earth. Plainly
showing the necessity of opening your hearts that the King of Glory
may enter in: for He is coming in flaming fire to take vengeance upon
them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Behold I stand at the door and knock! — Rev. iii. 20.

It has pleased the most wise Disposer of all things, out of
the riches of his free grace, to offer Jesus Christ to poor,
lost, and undone sinners ; and also it has pleased the Lord
Jesus, not only to die for sinners, that He might open up a
way for them to return to God, but to stand knocking at the
door of their hearts to intreat them to be reconciled to God.
Therefore, as you love your souls, as you love your bodies,
as you would not bring damnation on yourselves, hear and
fear, and do no more wickedly, but open your hard and stony
hearts that the King of Glory may come in ! O sinner !
Christ is now standing and calling to thy soul, "If thou wilt
hear and open, I will come in unto you !" Now Christ is
saying, " I know thy works;" I know well enough that thou
hast been a blasphemer, or a drunkard, or unclean, or a thief,
or a swearer, or a Sabbath-breaker, or a scorner, yet I stand
at thy door this day and knock ! I will receive thee to
mercy, I will forgive all thy sins, I will accept, I will heal,
I will save thy soul, if thou wilt open thy heart this day unto
me and let me in ! O brethren, for Christ's sake, refuse not
Christ, neglect not so great a salvation, lest ye perish !

1. Consider your need of Christ. "Give me Christ, or I
perish for ever." Can you be saved without Christ ? O I
if you may have Christ but for opening the door, then, while
it is called to-day, hear and open to him. 2. Consider what
answer thou wilt be able to make at the great day, if thou
wilt harden thy heart and not open. What wilt thou, what
canst thou, plead for thyself at the day of judgment? Wilt
thou say that the gospel never offered thee Christ? Why, thou
hast heard it this day, " If any man will hear and open I will

j. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 1. — The Door of Salvation Opened.

come in to him and will sup with him." Wilt thou say, I
would have opened my heart had it not been for the love of
sin, or friends, or companions ? O how will men and angels
hiss at thee ! This is the man who for his lusts forsook his
mercies, who, for a little vanity neglected his own salvation,
O how wilt thou curse thyself, to think that for nothing,
yea, for what is worse than nothing, thou hast put off Christ
and his salvation ! Therefore, men, brethren, and fathers,
hearken unto me, I this day propose to you blessing and
cursing, life and death ! — salvation if you open unto Christ,
damnation if you refuse Christ.

For the Lord's sake, choose not cursingbut blessing; choose
not death but life ; choose not hell but heaven ; choose not
sin but Christ. Though you have formerly slighted him,
yet if you will now regard him, if yet you will yield, if yet
you will consent, if yet you will become willing to open unto
Christ — Christ will be yours, mercy will be yours, salvation
will be yours ! And what would you have more ? Will
not all this do ? Will not love constrain you ? In love and
mercy, let me beg of thee to ask thy soul this question, how
long will this life and its comforts last ? Is the world's hap-
piness everlasting? No, surely. Thy money and thy corn
and thy land will do thee no good in the great day. O
what hast thou laid up for the world to come I Is the door
of thy heart open to Christ ? Alas, alas, is thy poor soul
unconverted all this while I — what will become of thee when
this life and all its comforts are gone? O hard-hearted sin-
ner ! this broad way in which thou walkest will never bring
thee to the promised land. Thy gold and silver key will
never open heaven's gate for thee. Thy care about this
world's good will not plead for thee before the Judge. All
thy friends and acquaintance with whom thou hast spent
many joyful hours — their good words will stand thee in no
stead. Then thou wilt be ready to cry, O where is the
Christ that I have despised I O where is the Jesus that I
nave resisted ! Will he plead for me ! No surely. Go to
the gods whom thou hast chosen. O what will become of
me — of my lost soul ! Must I not die ; and whither will
death carry me ? Into the land of light or of darkness ? To
which of them am I travelling? Surely the way of plea-
sure, the broad way of the world, is not the way to heaven
and everlasting happiness. Say then, O sinner, to thy soul*
thy poor lost dying soul, what! must I be taken from all my
glory and greatness, from all my delights and pleasures, and
be thrown, like Lucifer, son of the morning, from all my

iVo. 1. — The Door of Salvation Opened. 3

brightness, into blackness and darkness for ever ! When
death hath closed my eyes, must I awake in everlasting-
flames ! Yes, sinner, thou shalt ; and that without remedy,
unless thou open thy heart to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ask thy soul on which hand thou art likely to stand in
the day of judgment; on the right among the sheep, or on
the left among the goats. What will be the end of those
joys which now make so glad thy heart ? Thou art now in
the broad way to destruction and uttereparation from God's
presence for ever! Thy pleasures here we may judge of;
but O who can tell the thousandth part of those fiery tor-
ments to which thou art liable in the other world I When
thou diest thou shalt be a damned creature ; while thou
livest thou art fed like a beast by common Providence ; thou
art an utter stranger to feeding promises. If thou lookest
upwards, God is frowning, and his wrath is revealed from
heaven against thee. The heavens and their host are
ready every moment to discharge God's curses like thunder-
bolts against thee. If thou lookest downward, thou mayest
see hell opening its mouth to swallow thee up quick ; many
dangers attending thee every day, many miseries every mo-
ment. Legions of devils stand watching thee, and waiting
only for the leave of God to' drag thy soul into the lake of
fire. As long as thou refusest to hear Christ's voice, thou
hast a hell upon earth. It is not the multitude of thy com-
panions that shall lessen thy torments ; but they shall ra-
ther increase them. Thy life that hath been full of worldly
joy shall end in deadly woe !

All you into whose hands this little book shall come, 0 let
me beg you to consider how your hearts can endure to think
of being shut out of heaven, out of blessedness for ever !
Ask your heart these questions. Can I burn ? Can I en-
dure the vengeance of eternal fire ? Will a glowing oven,
a scorching furnace, be an easy lodging for me? O
why, my soul, wilt thou not be persuaded to repent ! Is
there too much pain in that ! Talk to thee of crucifying
the flesh, or parting with thy worldly companions, of enter-
ing in at the strait gate; O these are hard sayings, who
can bear them ! But how wilt thou dwell with devouring
fire! How wilt thou dwell with everlasting burnings!
Think on hell, O poor soul, and then think on Christ ; and
consider if a Redeemer from such misery be not worth the
accepting of. Think on hell, and then think on sin, and
carnal pleasures ; consider how thou wilt relish them in the
everlasting fire I Are these the price for which thou sellest

4 No. 1. — Hie Door of Salvation Opened.

thy soul to hell ! O bid these lusts and pleasures be gone !
bid your companion-sins be gone ; and though you loved
them well, and have spent your time sinfully with them,
yet tell them you must not burn for them : that you will
not damn your soul to please your flesh. Having thus briefly
laid down the use of terror, to awaken some poor souls out of
the depth of carnal security, I shall proceed to encourage
poor sinners to lay fast hold on Christ before it be too late.

O poor soul ! Hast thou kept Christ out a long time,
and art thou not yet resolved to open thy heart to him ?
What shall I say to thee? Let me say this — Christ waits
still for thee ; Christ is still willing to receive thee I Why,
then, wilt thou undo thyself by neglecting so great a salva-
tion ? Think wha, message He sends to thee, what errand
he comes on ; it is no dismal message, it is no dreadful
errand. If Christ had come to destroy th,y soul, could he
have had less welcome than thou hast given him ? O for
thy soul's sake receive Him ! O ye fools, when will ye be
wise ! Come unto Jesus and he will have mercy on you,
and heal all your backslidings, and love you freely.

But some poor soul will say, I have a desire to come to
Christ, but I am afraid Christ will never receive such a
wretched sinner as I am, who have stood out so long against
him. In answer to this, let me give you some directions.

1 . Ah poor soul, art thou willing to come to Christ ?
Then will Christ in no wise cast thee out, if thou comest to
Him poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked. O sinner
come not to him in thine own strength ! but come thou and
say, O Lord here is a poor soul not worjth any thing I O
Lord make me rich in faith ! here is a miserable soul, O Lord
have mercy on me ! here is a poor blind soul, O Lord en-
lighten me from above ! here is a poor naked wretch, O
Lord save me, lest I perish, for I cannot help myself.

2. Come to Christ by believing in him. Yes, when thy
poor soul is sinking into hell, and sees no way to escape the
fearful wrath of God, O then at such a time seize fast
hold on Christ ! O apprehend and apply all his benefits to
thy soul ! Come and grasp him in the arms of thy faith,
and say, I believe in thee, Lord ; help my unbelief. And
the answer which thy Lord will give thee, will be this —
be it unto thee according as thou wilt .Let Christ be in
your hand, and the promise in your eye, and no doubt,
though thou hast been a rebel and a traitor, yet Jesua
Christ, having received gifts for the rebellious, will shew
mercy to thee, and receive thee.

N'o. 1 — To all Carnal, Unconverted^ Christless Sinners, 5

3. Come to Jesus Christ by repenting- and forsaking" all
thy sins. Thou canst never come to the wedding without
the wedding garment; the old man must be done away be-
fore all things can be made new. " O Jerusalem, wash thy
heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved ; how
long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?" Jer. iv. 14

[ The above is from an old and scarce Sermon of the Rev Samuel
Rutherford.]

TO ALL CARNAL, UNCONVERTED,
CHRISTLESS SINNERS!

Miserable Souls!
With the eye of a sure, though too feeble faith, we see the
heaven which you neglect, and the blessed souls in glory
with Christ, whose companions you might be for ever ! We
see the multitude of souls in hell who came thither by the
same way that you are going in, who are shut out of the
glorious presence of God, and are now among the devils that
deceived them ! With our bodily eyes we see abundance of
poor sinners living about us as if there were no God, no
Christ, no heaven, no hell, no death, no judgment, no eter-
nity ! O what a deceiver is the devil, that can thus lead on
souls to their own damnation ! O what a cheater is this
transitory world, that can make men so forget the world
where they must live for ever ! O what an enemy is this
flesh, that thus draweth men's souls from God ! O what a
besotting thing is sin, that turneth a reasonable soul into
worse than a beast ! O what a world is this, where men are
.abouring to undo themselves, and gratifying the devil
against that God and Saviour who would give them ever-
lasting blessed life ! Poor sinners ! will you still be cheated
by this deceiving world ? Were you made for no better, no
higher work than this? What! not one awakened look
into the world where you must be forever? Not one heart-
raising thought of everlasting glory? Not one heart-piercing
thought of all your Saviour's love? Not one tear for all
your sinful lives? O God forbid! Let not our labours
be so despised ! Let not your God, your Saviour, and your
souls be set so light by.

Alas! what heart can now possibly conceive, or what
tongue express the pains of those souls that are under the

6 No. 1. — To all Carnal, Unconverted, Christless Sinners.

wrath of God ! Then, sinners, you will be crying- to Jesus
Christ, "O mercy! O pity, pity, on a poor soul! Why,
I do now, in the name of the Lord Jesus, cry to thee, " O
have mercy, have pity, man, upon thy own soul !" Shall
God pity thee, who wilt not be entreated to pity thyself?
If thy horse see but a pit before him, thou canst scarcely
force him in ; and wilt thou so obstinately cast thyself into
hell, when the danger is foretold thee? " Who can stand
before the indignation of the Lord? and who can abide
the fierceness of his anger?" (Nahum i. 6.) Methinks
thou shouldst need no more words, but presently cast
away thy soul-damning sins, and wholly deliver up thyself
to Christ. May the Lord persuade thy heart to strike this
covenant without any longer delay! But if thou be
hardened unto death, and there be no remedy, yet say not
another day but that thou wast faithfully warned, and hadst
a friend, that would fain have prevented thy damnation.

Poor souls, consider, — God is in earnest with you ; and
why should not you be so with him ? In his commands,
his threatenings, his promises, he means as he speaks. In
his judgments he is serious. Was he not so when he
drowned the world? When he consumed Sodom and
Gomorrah? And when he scattered the Jews? Is it
time, then, to trifle with God ? — Jesus Christ was serious
in purchasing our redemption. In teaching, he neglected
his meat and drink. In prayer, he continued all night. In
doing good, his friends thought him beside himself. In
suffering, he fasted forty days, was tempted, betrayed, spit
upon, buffeted, crowned with thorns, sweat drops of blood,
was crucified, pierced, died: there was no jesting in all
this. And should not we be serious in seeking our own
salvation? — The Holy Spirit is serious in soliciting us to
be happy. His motions are frequent, pressing, and impor-
tunate. He striveth with us. He is grieved when we
resist him. And should not we be serious, then, in obeying
and yielding to his motions? — God is serious in hearing
our prayers, and bestowing his mercies. He is afflicted
with us. He regardeth every groan and sigh, and puts
every tear into his bottle. The next time thou art in
trouble, thou wilt beg for a serious regard to thy prayers.
And shall we expect real mercies, when we are slight and
superficial in the work of God? — the ministers of Christ
are serious in exhorting and instructing you. They beg
of God, and of you ; and long more for the salvation of
your souls than for tiny worldly good. If they kill them-

No. 1. — To all Carnal, Unconverted, Cliristless Sinners. 7

selves with their labour, or suffer martyrdom for preaching
the gospel, they think their lives are well bestowed, so that
they prevail for the saving your souls. And shall other
men be so painful and careful for your salvation, and you
be so careless and negligent of your own ? — How diligent
and serious are all the creatures in serving you ! What
haste makes the sun to compass the world ! The fountains
are always flowing for thy use ; the rivers still running ;
spring and harvest keep their times. How hard does thy
ox labour for thee from day to day I How speedily does
thy horse travel with thee I And shalt thou only be
negligent? Shall all these be so serious in serving thee,
and thou so careless in thy service to God? — The servants
of the world and the devil are serious and diligent. They
jvork as if they could never do enough. They make haste,
as if afraid of coming to hell too late. They bear down
ministers, sermons, and all before them. And shall they
be more diligent for damnation than thou for salvation ?
Hast thou not a better Master, sweeter employment, greater
encouragements, and a better reward? — Time was when
thou wast serious thyself in serving Satan and the flesh, if
it be not so yet. How eagerly didst thou follow thy sports,
thy evil company, and sinful delights ! And wilt thou not
now be as earnest and violent for God ? — You are to this
day in earnest about the things of this life. If you are
sick or in pain, what serious complaints do you utter! If
you are poor, how hard do you labour for a livelihood! And
is not the business of your salvatiou of far greater moment?
— There is no jesting in heaven or hell. The saints have
a real happiness, and the damned a real misery. There are
no remiss or sleepy praises in heaven, nor such lamentations
in hell. All there are in earnest. When thou, reader,
shalt come to death and judgment, oh ! what deep, heart-
piercing thoughts wilt thou have of eternity! Methinks I
foresee thee already astonished, to think how thou couldst
possibly make so light of these things. Methinks I even
hear thee crying out of thy stupidity and madness.

Poor sinners ! We are in good earnest with you ! Can
any man be in jest with you who believeth God? Our
object is the saving of your poor souls. What else do we
study for, labour for, suffer for, live for ? Come, then, and
help us, who are seeking to help you ! Give over striving
against God and conscience. Give over fighting against
Christ and his Spirit. Take part no more with the world
and the flesh, which, in your baptism, you renounced. We

8 No. 1. — To all Carnal, Uncunverted^CIiristless Sinners.

oiler you nothing but what we have chosen for ourselves.
O increase not your guilt, your pain, by refusing these
calls. O turn not our complaints to God against you. Turn
us not from beseeching you to be reconciled to God, to tell
him that you would not be reconciled. Force us not to say
that we invited you to the heavenly feast, but you would
not come. Poor sinners I your case is not yet desperate.
O make it not desperate I Heaven may yet be yours if you
will. O will you not be saved? Will you prefer the world
and the flesh before your Saviour and your God, before a
sure and everlasting joy ? O retire for a little into thyself,
and use the reason of a man. Look before thee whither
thou art going, and look behind thee how thou hast lived ;
look within thee and see what state thy soul is in, whether
it be ready to enter on eternity ; look above thee, what a
heaven of glory thou dost neglect, and what a God thou
hast to be thine everlasting friend or enemy ; look beneath
thee, and think where they are that have died unconverted.
When thou hast soberly thought of these things, then do as
God and thy conscience shall direct thee. And is this an
unreasonable request.

If now, poor soul, thou art fully convinced, and askest,
what should I do to be saved ? the Lord make thee will-
ing, and I will quickly tell thee in a few words.

1. Come to Christ, and take him for thy Saviour, thy
teacher, thy king, and he will pardon and save thee.
—John i. 12. 1 John v. 11. 12.

2. Believe God's love, and the pardon of sin and the
everlasting joys of heaven, that thou mayest feel all
else to be vanity in comparison with these.

Pity, O Lord, and persuade these souls I Let not Christ's
blood, his doctrine, his example, his Spirit, be lost unto
them, and they lost for ever I Let not heaven be as no
heaven to them, while they dream and dote on the shadows
of this world. O save this land from the greater destruc-
tion, than all plagues, and famines, and divisions, and wars,
which our sins and thy threatenings make us fear. O Lord
in thee have we trusted, let us never be confounded !

[Abridged from Baxter."]

Kelso : Published by J. Rutherfurd. — Price 3s. per 100.
[series to be continued.]

andrew jack, printer, eeinbi rgh.

No. 2

THE FAITHFUL SAYING.

God so loved the world, that he gouts hu only begotten Son, thai
whosoever believeth in him should not perish." — John hi. 16.

Here God, who is infinite and unspeakable, gives after
such a manner as passes all things. For that which he
gives, he gives not as the wages of desert, but of mere love.
This ought to encourage our hearts, and to abolish all sorrow,
when this exceeding love of God comes in mind, that we
might trust thereto and believe stedfastly, that God is that
bountiful and great Giver, and that this gift of his proceeds
o£ that great virtue of love. This sort of giving, which has
its spring of love, makes this gift more excellent and pre-
cious. And the words of Christ are plain, that God loveth
us. Wherefore, for this love's sake we ought greatly to
esteem all things that he gives us. And as God, the giver,
is exceedingly great, so is the gift that he giveth, which is
his only Son.

But here unbelief troubles us, and also incredible dark-
ness and ignorance, so that when we hear of this so great a
gift we do not believe it. When it is told us that God hath
^iven unto us his Son out of mere love, we are without any
desire to receive it. We care not for the promise of this
gift, but bestow all our cares on worldly things. Yet no-
thing is asked, save that thou shouldst joyfully embrace it!
But alas ! what an unworthy thing is this, that there be
neither hearts nor hands to receive this gift ! And yet
God asks nothing else of us, but just to take it as our own.
But this is our madness, that though we are mere beggars,
we scorn to be provided for. Judge then what a grie-
vous sin is unbelief!

Hence, also, it appears how mad the world is, that it has
no joy in the gift of God. For so little does the world de-
serve this love and gift of God, that nothing can be more
against God or nearer to the devil than the world is. And
yet this is the true testimony of Christ, that God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son. But because
of these sins, and this misery with which we sinners are bur-
dened, and so burdened that we could never escape without
the help of God, God doth put forth this love, and bestows

j. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 2— The Faithful Saying.

this gift freely upon us. Is not the merciful Lord, there-
fore, worthy to be loved again ? And ought we not to put
our whole confidence in Him ? Let us, then, understand
that God is not here said to be angry with the world, but
to love it, in that he gave his Son for it. God is merciful
to us and loveth us, and of very love gave his Son unto
us, that we should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And as God giveth by love and mercy, so do we take and
receive by faith, and no otherwise. Faith only — that is,
trust in the grace and mercy of God, is the very hand by
which we take this gift.

This gift is given to make us safe from death and sin.
For even as a great flame is in comparison with a drop of
water, so is Christ in comparison with the sins of the world.
As soon as they touch Christ, and as soon as the gift is re-
ceived by faith, our sins are quite consumed and abolished,
even as a dry stalk is by a hot fire. These, then, are excel-
lent words, and words of life : God grant us his grace to
print them in our hearts. For he that hath these words
surely fixed in his heart can neither be afraid of the devil,
nor of sin, nor of hell, but will be of a quiet heart, and say,
"I am without all fear" for I have with me the Son of
God, whom God hath given unto me by his love, and by the
gospel which assures me of it. And thy word, O Lord, and
thy Son Jesus, will not deceive me, in whom alone I put
my trust. If I be weak in faith, grant me grace that I may
believe more stedfastly. For besides this I have no other
help in this evident gift and love of God, but that we should
all, by a little, and a little, believe more and more in this
gift. And the stronger faith is, the greater is the joy, plea-
sure, and security, that is felt rising in the niind, so that we
are ready to do and suffer all that God requires of us, know-
ing that He is loving, and uses nothing but love toward us.

But thou wilt say, If I were as Peter, Paul, and Mary
were, this gift would be comfortable unto me. For they
are saints, and doubtless this saying pertains but unto them.
How should I, who am a sinner, by any means understand
that it pertains unto me, who have so often offended God by
my sins, and have made him my enemy ? But such thoughts
are nothing but mere incredulity and unbelief, which goeth
about to withdraw us from this sweet gospel. And truly
unbelief can be overcome by no other means than by the
word of God. Of this Christ spake — that we should not
doubt of this word; saying, that his Father, the true and
eternal God in heaven, did so love the world) that he deli-

No. 2.— The Faithful Saying. 3

vered his only begotten Son. And this is sure, that the
world here does not signify Mary, Peter, and Paul only;
but the world signifies all mankind. Therefore if thou takest
thyself to be of mankind, or if thou dost not believe that,
compare thyself with other mortal men, that thou may est
understand that thou art a man. For why shouldest thou
not suffer thyself to be of this name, seeing that Christ with
plain words saith, that God gave not his Son only for Mary,
Peter, and Paul, but for the world, that all should receive
him that are the sons of men. Then if thou or I would not
receive him, as though he did not appertain unto us, truly
it would consequently follow, that Christ's words are not
true, whereas he saith he was given and delivered for the
world. Wherefore it appears that the contrary thereto
is most assuredly true, that this gift belongs as well unto thee
as to Peter and Paul, forasmuch as thou also art a man as
they were, and a portion of the world; that God may not
be judged in his word, and this thought rise in our heart,
thinking on this wise, Who knoweth whether I am also of
their number, to whom the Son of God is given, and eternal
life promised. For that is as much as to make God untrue
to his promise. Wherefore when this thought comes upon
thee, suspect it, as thou wouldest suspect the devil, lest thou
be therewith deceived. And say thou, What is that to me,
that I am neither Peter nor Paul ? If God would have
given this gift to them only that should have been found
worthy, he would have given it to the angels, to the sun, and
to the moon ; for they are pure and undefiled creatures, which
always obey God, and never decline or swerve from his pre-
cepts. But this is the truth of the matter, he gave Him to
the world, and the world is no worthier thereof than as I
said before. Wherefore, although I am neither Peter nor
Paul, yet will I not suffer myself to put aside this gift,
but will challenge as much for my part as David and all the
holy apostles did. Whatsoever I am, yet God is not to be
taken as unfaithful to his promise. I am a portion of the
world, wherefore if 1 take not this gift as mine own, I make
God untrue.

But thou wilt say, Why does He not show this to me
alone ? Then I would believe and think surely that it ap-
pertained unto me. But it is for a great consideration that
God speaks here so generally; to the intent, verily, that no
man should think that he is excluded from this promise and
gift. He that excludes himself must give an account why he
does so. I will not judge them, saith He, but they shall be

4 No. 2.— The Faithful Saying.

judged of their own mouth. For this gift was given to
the world, and they, by their unbelief and mistrust of God's
word, will not receive it. Yet if a man will consider well,
he shall perceive that baptism and also the communion of
the body and blood of Christ were ordained, that every man
should take this gift frankly and freely as his own. We
are saved, then, only by the mercy of God; and we obtain
this grace only by faith, without virtue, without merits, and
without works. For the whole matter that is necessary to
the getting of everlasting life and remission of sins is alto-
gether and fully comprehended in the love and mercy of
God, through Christ. God grant us his grace that we may
believe and trust to this surely— that we may suffer all
things with a glad and ready heart, and may so die that we
may be saved for ever, through his Son and our Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.

[Extracted from the Works of Thomas Becon, one of the English
Reformers, who was born a. d. 1610; died 15G7.]

HYMN.

Hath the invitation ended,

Is the cry of mercy dumb ?
Still salvation is extended,

Still the call is — " freely come ?

Still for sinners Jesus pleadeth

In compassion's gentlest tones,
Still the Spirit intercedeth,

With unutterable groans.

Still the Bride, the Church would gather

Every wanderer to the fold ; —
Still the everlasting Father

Would with love each child behold.

Then let every soul that thirsteth

Freely to this fount repair,
And while yet the tide out-bursteth

Drink and grow immortal there.

Kelso : Published by J. Rutherfurd Price Is. 6d. per 100.

[series to be continued.]

No.

THE WELL OF LIVING WATER.

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath
no money : come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk with-
out money and without price." — Isaiah lv. I.

Jt is God who is speaking to us in these gracious words.
It is he who says, Ho! and thus calls the attention of heed-
less men to his message of love. It is God himself, even
our own God, who is thus calling on the children of men
to come to the waters. He sees men every where turned
away from Him, wandering in search of other objects,
their ear closed against every voice, but that of the world,
and He summons their attention. He invites them to stop
and listen to his message. Ho, every heedless sinner; ho,
every thirsty soul, there are tidings for thee ! Come to the
waters !

Is this invitation, then, to all sinners without exception?
Or is it only a certain class that is addressed ? Are all in-
vited just as sinners ? Is every one at once to take the
message as spoken to himself? Or is it only those who art
qualified and prepared in some way that are addressed ? It
is evident that the term "thirsty," is here used not to single
out a peculiar class of sinners, but simpiy to describe the
natural unhappy state of every unconverted soul. The
thirst spoken of is not the thirsting after righteousness, but
simply the sense of misery, and the desire to be happy
which is in every fallen child of Adam, before he ever be-
gins to thirst after righteousness at all. This is plain from
the second verse, where those who are invited are describ-
ed as " spending money for that which is not bread, and
their labour for that which satisfieth not." That is to say,
they are poor worldling*, throwing away their all upon va-
nity ; toiling for what cannot feed their souls, nor yield
them any return. Their way of spending their money and
their labour, is one which will do nothing for their souls

J. RUTHERFURD S SERIES OF TRACTS.

2 No. 3 — The Well of Living Water.

It brings them no ease. It does not fill the dreary void of
the heart, that is left by the absence of God. It leaves
them emptier, thirstier, hungrier, than before. These are
the men that are invited. They are the same that Jesus
invites when he says, " Come unto me all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;" in which words
he speaks of the burden which every man is bearing, who
remains away from God, just as the prophet declares the
thirst that every man is enduring, who has forsaken the
fountain of living waters.

The words are therefore addressed to all ! Come ye to
the waters. To every sorrowful soul that says, " Who will
shew me any good ;" to every weary sinner that would fain
be happy, but knows not how; to every worldly sinner
that is drinking from the world's broken cisterns ; — to all
such, it is said, " I will give to him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely."

Here then is God's solemn declaration, that there are
waters. It is no uncertain, no doubtful thing. There is
such a thing as perfect blessedness for the soul. Most
men seem to think, that as they have long gone from one
thing to another, seeking happiness, and have always failed,
they must just be contented to remain unhappy and make
the best of a bad bargain. They have had their trials, but
they are not worse off than others. They do not say that
they have got their heart's desire, but merely that they have
got all a man is likely to get, and have therefore no right
to complain. This is the best the poor soul can hope for,
in that world to which he clings so fondly !

But there are waters ! There are none in the world ; it
is a wilderness. But they are to be found in God. God
says he has waters for us. He has that which will satisfy
the soul; which will give us perfect peace, — something that
will make us supremely — infinitely blessed, so that we
shall never thirst again. And he not only provides those,
but he presses us to come to them. He would not have
us remain another hour without them. It is the poor and
the miserable that he invites ; and he repeats the message,
" Come ye/' to shew how earnestly he is pressing us to
come. And lest we should imagine that we are to buy or
to earn these blessings ourselves, he tells us they are alto-
gether free. They have been bought for us already. They
are ours for the taking. It is not needful that we should
have something of our own to buy them with. Our get-

No. 3—77/6? Well of Living Water. 3

ting them does not depend upon our having any thing, but
takes for granted our wanting every thing. Our plea with
God is not what we have, but what we need. Nor does
the word " buy" here used, contradict th.s. It is employ-
ed to shew us that though we have nothing, we are to come
with the same confidence as if we had the full purchase-
money to give ! Though we could buy them all ourselves,
we could not be more certain of obtaining these blessings !
" Buy wine and milk, without money and without price.*"
Every kind of enjoyment — every kind of refreshment is to
be found here. And all free, — all within your reach. It
matters not how poor you be, — how sinful, how helpless,
how undeserving, — the waters are free, — free to the vilest,
free to you ! Come with all your poverty, with all your
guilt, with all your misery, and take the free waters of this
"pure river, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God, and of the Lamb." Drink and be blessed ! Drink,
yea drink abundantly ! Why spend money for that which
will not satisfy your soul ? God expostulates with you, in
regard to this. He asks you, Is it wise to act thus ? is it
reasonable? is it not madness in the extreme? why then
persist in it ? why not come at once, and drink freely of the
water of life ?

Hear how God addresses you, and how again he says,
"Hearken unto me; incline your ear, hear and your soul
shall live." Thus we are taught that the source of all our
misery is our not hearkening to God. We have hearkened
to ourselves, to our friends, to the world, to the devil, but we
have refused to listen to God. This has been our misery.
Now the cure is just the opposite. We must listen to God.
How simple, how blessed ! The entrance of his words
giveth light and peace. In hearkening to him we shall
find life to our souls. Hear, and your souls shall live.
Listen and live. No more ! Oh sinner, could life be had
on easier terms than this ? Could salvation be brought
nearer, or made freer than this ?

There is in us a constant tendency to come to God with
money and with price, — to do something to distinguish
ourselves from others, and to get out of the common state
of mankind; and in this spirit men read the words of the
Holy Ghost, and instead of encouraging words, they make
them discouraging. Thus, when it is said, " Come unto
me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest," people say, " Yes, but I must come ; if I do not

4 No. 3.— The Well of Living Water.

come I will not get the rest." Now the intention of God
is to fix your attention on the person to whom you are to
come, — come unto me; but in a self-righteous state we
fix our thoughts on the Come ; and we suppose this must
be the money, this must be the price, and get at once into
difficulties as to the way we should come.

The Holy Ghost has used a variety of expressions, in
order to prevent this error, and yet men will fall into it.
For example, it is said in one place, Come; in another place
it is said, Look; in another Believe; in another Hear; all
to prevent your fixing on the act of your own mind, and
to fix your attention on the object, which is Jesus Christ.
Had it been any other subject than that of salvation, people
would have committed no mistake about it. If I had said,
" Hear ! I have good news for you ;" you would never have
asked, How am I to hear ? If I had said, " Look, and you
will be rejoiced at what you see ;" you would never have
asked, how you were to look ? If I had said, " Believe and
you will find it much to your advantage;" you would mere-
ly consider whether what I said was true, without think-
ing of the act of believing. It is not our own act of be-
lieving, but the object believed, that is to bring us hope
and peace. If we seek to draw our hope from knowing
that we have believed, we are as far from the spirit of the
gospel as the man who rests his hopes upon his alms-deeds.
When we make our own faith the source of comfort, we
are drawing from a broken cistern. It is impossible to ob-
tain peace, or strength, or holiness, from knowing that we
believe a fact, however true and important that fact may
be. The fact believed may be a comfort to us ; but our
knowing that we believe it cannot be so. When seeking
peace for the soul, the question is not " Have we believed?"
but " Has God, in very deed, made his Son a propitiation
for sin?" Why is it that when such expressions are used
in religion, they turn people's attention away from the
thing spoken of to themselves ? Just because men would
turn the act of believing, looking, &c. (which is a bare re-
ceiving of what God says,) into the money and the price
by which to purchase what God gives. The variety of
expressions used, — Come, Hear •, Look, Believe, — is employ-
ed in order that we might not turn our attention away from
what God says, and be taken up with thinking about some
particular way of receiving it, — "Incline your ear and come
unto me ; hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will make

No. 3 The Well of Living Water. 5

an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies
of David ;" — " this is the record, that God has given to us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Thus the news
which God sends you, is, just like every other piece of
news, to put you in the attitude of a listener, and not of
doing something of your own.

The thing which God is here said to give, is life, not
mere safety, and security from wrath, — not mere deliverance
from hell. What, then, is this eternal life which God gives
you ? God's gift is his own life ; not the life of mere en-
joyment— the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field
have that life — but the life which God himself had before
worlds were. In other words, the purpose of God is not
simply to make you happy, but to make you happy with
God's own happiness ; — not simply to give you joy, but to
give you the joy of the Lord ; — not simply to make you
drink of the rivers of pleasure, but to make you drink out of
the rivers of God's own pleasures, and out of the fountains of
God's own happiness, that your joy should be the very
same as his, springing from the very same source, and
produced by the very same cause. God's best gifts are no
portion for man. He himself is the soul's only por-
tion ; — he that does not know God as the light, the life, the
blessedness of his soul, knows not God, and is without a
portion at all ! Life eternal does not consist in knowing
that there is a God, and that there is a Saviour, but in
knowing God, and knowing the Saviour, as the child
knows his father, and as the friend knows his friend.
Till we see Him and feel Him in his perpetually per-
vading presence of infinite holiness, and love, and beau-
ty, and wisdom, we cannot be said to know that God
for whom we were created. This presence of his is our
real home and our real joy, and until we become sensible
of it, we are without a home, without a joy, and without a
portion in the universe! We are friendless and desolate !

God himself is the soul's inheritance : The Lord's por-
tion is his people, and the people's portion is the Lord.
God himself, I say, is our inheritance. My enjoyment is
to be in God, so that it continues as long as I continue
and God exists, although the whole of creation were
swept away. How, then, is God to be thus enjoyed ? A
person is to be thus an heir of God, by having God's own
character in him. You may enjoy God's gifts, without
enjoying his mind ; but you cannot enjoy God himself,

6 No. 3— The Well of Living Water.

without having his mind. If there is a person who has
the power, and also the inclination to bestow much kind-
ness upon me, I may feel an interest in that person and
like his kindness, but if that person is to be enjoyed him-
self, apart from his gifts, it must be something in his cha-
racter, something in his mind, something in him that would
exist although his gifts should cease, from which my en-
joyment is to spring. Now I cannot rejoice in God's ho-
liness unless I am holy ; I cannot rejoice in God's love
unless I love 4 I cannot rejoice in God's righteousness un-
less I am righteous, nor in his truth unless I am true. There-
fore it is, that in being renewed, we are said to be made
partakers of the divine nature, and are called to have the
same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus.

This, then, is the thing contemplated, when God says,
Come to the waters. These are the waters: it is something
in drinking of which you will be partakers of a divine na-
ture,— something in drinking of which you will share in
God's own blessedness. Where are these waters ? How is
man to be partaker of a divine nature ? How am I to feel
as God feels ? How am I, who by nature hate my God, and
hate my neighbour, to love as God loves — to be holy as
God is holy ? Where is the provision for all this ? It is
in the sure mercies of David — "Behold I have given him
for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the
people."

Now, do you understand these things — do you see the
difference between God's giving you a happiness, and God
giving you his own happiness, and that this last is what God
gives you in Christ? Are you giving God glory for this un-
speakable gift ? And can you bear witness that it is eternal
life to know Christ ? Can you, individually, say of what you
have heard, " I know it is God's plan, because I am under
its operation; it is taking effect in me; I find all things per-
taining to life and godliness in Christ Jesus ; I am made a
sharer in a divine nature ?" If not, you are still without
God and without hope in the world. If not, you are not of
that family of which Jesus Christ is the elder brother ; you
have not in you the mind of Christ. You may be earnest
— you may be serious — you may be pains- taking, but you
are not yet a Christian; God's plan has not yet been ac-
complished in you.

I beseech you see if this be the case. If so, and if GocPs
purpose is not accomplished in you, why is it so ? What is

No. 3 The Well of Living Water. 7

your excuse ? There can be no excuse, for there can be no
reason but one. You are making God a liar. You are re-
fusing to believe the record which He hath given you of
his Son. There is no excuse but this horrid one, that
when God is giving you in Christ all things pertaining to
life and godliness, you do not believe that all these things
are yours ; and your reason for making God a liar, for re-
fusing to bolieve that these things are yours, is the pride of
your heart.

The pride of the heart, in respect of pardon, is, that a
man would have it said that he himself had bought it.
Though you should, in doing what you can in the way of
purchase, say it is little, and talk of its unworthiness, and
call this humility, your attempt to purchase, sufficiently
6hews your pride ; and all your professions of humility will
not screen you from the charge which God has against you,
for not rejoicing in what he has provided for you in Christ
— for refusing to glorify him in giving thanks for his un-
speakable gift. There are waters for you ; — free to you at
this moment, — open to you as you are ! God invites and
welcomes you to the fountain ; yet you will not come, — or
when you think of coming, you insist upon bringing a price
in your hand. This is your pride, your presumption. O
let it not be your ruin !

I have now declared to you the gospel of the grace of
God ; and I beseech you that you refuse not the word
spoken, for that word shall judge you at the last day ; and
take heed that you are not found at that day on the left
hand of the throne, from being too proud to receive salva-
tion freely — to take the water of life without money and
without price. This is the awful condemnation.

Oh, then, wilt thou not come to the waters and take
them freely ? And if thou canst not — if thine evil heart of
unbelief will not allow thee — wilt thou not cry to him
who made thy heart, and who can new-make it, and ask
Him to lead thee to these living streams ? And surely he
will lead thee. " If thou knewest the gift of God, and who
it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have
asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
The woman of Samaria had told our Lord that he ought
not to have thought of asking anything of her, on ac-
count of the disputes between his nation and hers. Such
is the love of man to man ! The Jew refuses water to the
Samaritan, and the Samaritan to the Jew ! But such is

8 No. 3 The Well of Living Water.

not the love of God ! His is a free and boundless love,
which gives liberally to all. If she had known the fulness
of that love — how willing to give and how much it had
already given unasked — she could not have allowed one
suspicion to enter her mind. If she had known that he
who spoke to her was himself the great gift of God to a
lost world, and the dispenser of all other gifts, she would
have asked, and he would have given her living water !
He speaks of his giving as the natural consequence of her
asking ! How touching the declaration, how precious the
promise ! Sinner as she was, He told her that she had
but to ask, and she was sure of receiving! Sinner as she
was, she sought and she obtained ! — she asked and He gave!
Ask, then, and you shall receive ; and when you receive,
oh! then, all is well : the darkness is past, and the true
light has risen ! " He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all dings."

HYMN.

Ho ye thirsty ! parch'd and fainting,
Here are waters, turn and see !

To the thirstiest, poorest, vilest,
Without money, all is free —
Thirsty sinner !

Drink and stay not, 'tis for thee.

Ho ye weary ! toiling, burden'd,
With a world of woes opprest ;

Come ! — it is thy Lord invites thee,
Lay thy head upon my breast.
Weary sinner !

Come to Jesus, come and rest.

Ho ye wounded ! bruised, broken,
Come, and health divine receive ;

Look to him who heals the wounded,
He alone can healing give.
Wounded sinner !

Look to Jesus, look and live.

Kelso: Published by J. Rutherfurd. — Price 3s. per J Oft,
[series to be continued.]

ANDREW JACK, PRINTER, EDINBURGH.

No. 4.

JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

* Thy beauty was perfect through my comeliness, which I had
put upon thee, saith the Lord God." — Ezlk. xvu 14.

Give me leave to ask you one question : Can you say the
Lord our righteousness ? Were you ever made to see and
admire the all- sufficiency of Christ's righteousness, and ex-
cited by the Spirit of God to hunger and thirst after it ?
Could you ever say, My soul is athirst for Christ, yea, even
for the righteousness of Christ ? O when shall 1 come to
appear before the presence of my God in the righteousness of
Christ! Nothing but Christ! nothing bu*- Christ I Give
me Christ, O God, and I am satisfied I my soul shall praise
thee for ever.

Was this ever the language of your hearts ? and, after
these inward conflicts, were you ever enabled to reach out
the arm of faith, and embrace the blessed Jesus in your
souls, so that you could say, " My beloved is mine, and I
am his 1" If so, fear not, whoever you are. Hail, all hail,
you happy souls I The Lord, the Lord Christ, the ever-
lasting God, is your righteousness. Christ has justified
you, who is he that condemneth you ? Christ has died for
you, nay, rather, is risen again, and ever liveth to make in-
tercession for you. Being now justified by his grace, you
have peace with God, and shall, ere long, be with Jesus in
glory. For there is no condemnation to those that are
really in Christ Jesus. WThether Paul, or Apollos, or life,
or death, all is yours, if you are Christ's, for Christ is God's.
My brethren, my heart is enlarged towards you ! O think
of the love of Christ in dying for you ! If the Lord be
your righteousness, let the righteousness of your Lord be
continually in your mouth. Talk of, O talk of, and recom-
mend, the righteousness of Christ, when you lie down, and
when you rise up, at your going out and coming in I Think
of the greatness of the gift, as well as of the giver I Shew
to all the world, in whom you have believed ! Let all by
your fruits know that the Lord is your righteousness, and
that you are waiting for your Lord from heaven ! O study
to be holy, even as he who has called you, and washed you

j. rutherfukd's ser.es of tragts.

2 No. 4. — Jehovah our Righteousness.

in his blood was holy ! O think of his dying love ! Let
that love constrain you to obedience I having much for-
given, love much. Be always asking, What shall I do fo
express my gratitude to the Lord, for giving me his right-
eousness I Let that self-abasing God-exalting question, be
always in your mouths, " Why me, Lord ? why me ?" why
am I taken and others left ? why is the Lord my righteous-
ness ? why is he become my salvation, who have so often
deserved damnation at his hands ?

But I must turn a little from congratulating you, to in-
vite poor Christless sinners to come to him, and accept of
his righteousness, that they may have life. Alas, my heart
almost bleeds ! What a multitude of precious souls are
now before me ! how shortly must all be ushered into eter-
nity ! and yet, O cutting thought ! were God now to re-
quire all your souls, how few could really say, the Lord our
righteousness.

And think you, O sinners, that you will be able to stand
in the day of judgment, if Christ be not your righteousness!
No, that alone is the wedding-garment in which you must
appear. O Christless sinners, I am distressed for you ! the
desires of my soul are enlarged. O that this may be an ac-
cepted time ! That the Lord may be your righteousness !
For whither would you flee, if death should find you naked ?
O think of death I O think of judgment I Yet a little
while, and time shall be no more ; and then what will be-
come of you, if the Lord be not your righteousness ?
Think you that Christ will spare you ? No, he that form-
ed you will have no mercy on you. If you be not of
Christ, if Christ be not your righteousness, Christ himself
shall pronounce you damned. And can you bear to think
of being damned by Christ ? Can you bear to hear the
Lord Jesus say to you, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels/
Can you live, think you, in everlasting burnings? Isyoui
flesh brass, and your bones iron ? What if they be ? hell-
fire, that fire prepared for the devil and his angels, will heat
them through and through. And can you bear to depart
from Christ ? O that heart-piercing thought ! Ask those
holy souls, who are at any time bewailing an absent God,
who walk in darkness, and see no light, though but a few
days or hours ; ask them, what it is to lose a sight and pre-
sence of Christ ? See how they seek him sorrowing, and go
mourning after him all the day long I And, if it be so

No. 4. — Jehovah our Righteousness. 3

dreadful to lose the sensible presence of Christ only for a
day, what must it be to be banished from him to all eter-
nity ?

But this it must be, if Christ be not your righteousness :
For God's justice must be satisfied; and unless Christ's
righteousness is imputed and applied to you here, you must
hereafter be satisfying the divine justice in hell-torments
eternally ; nay, Christ himself shall condemn you to that
place of torment. And how cutting is that thought 1 Me-
thinks I see poor, trembling, Christless wretches, standing
before the bar of God, crying out, Lord, if we must be
damned, let some angel, or some archangel, pronounce the
damnatory sentence : but all in vain. Christ himself shall
pronounce the irrevocable sentence. Knowing therefore
the terrors of the Lord, let me persuade you to close with
Christ, and never rest until you can say, " the Lord our
righteousness." Who knows but the Lord may have mercy
on, nay, abundantly pardon you ? You need not fear the
greatness or number of your sins. For are you sinners ? so
am I. Are you the chief of sinners ? so am I. Are you
backsliding sinners ? so am I. And yet the Lord (for ever
adored be his rich, free, and sovereign grace I) the Lord is
my righteousness. Come, then, O young men, who (as I
acted once myself) are playing the prodigal, and wandering
away afar off from your heavenly Father's house, come
home, come home, and leave your swine's trough. Feed no
longer on the husks of sensual delights : for Christ's sake
arise, and come home I your heavenly Father now calls you.
See, yonder the best robe, even the righteousness of his
dear Son, awaits you. See it, view it again and again.
Consider at how dear a rate it was purchased, even by the
blood of God. Consider what great need you have of it.
You are lost, undone, damned for ever, without it. Come
then, poor, guilty prodigals, come home ; indeed, I will not,
like the elder brother in the Gospel, be angry; no, I will
rejoice with the angels in heaven. And O that God would
now bow the heavens and come down ! Descend, O Son
of God, descend ; and, as thou hast shown in me such mep-
cy, O let thy blessed Spirit apply thy righteousness to
some young prodigals now before thee, and clothe their nak-
ed souls with thy best robe !

And what shall I say to you of a middle age, you busy
merchants, you cumbered Marthas, who, with all your get-
tings, have not yet gotten the Lord to be your righteous-

4 No. 4. — Jehovah our Righteousness.

ness ! Alas ! what profit will there be of all your labour
under the sun, if you do not secure this pearl of invaluable
price ? I see, also, many hoary heads here, and perhaps
the most of them cannot say, the Lord is my righteousness.
O grey-headed sinners, I could weep over you ! your grey
hairs, which ought to be your crown, and in which perhaps
you glory, are now your shame. You know not that the
Lord is your righteousness : O haste then, haste ye, aged
sinners, and seek an interest in redeeming love I Alas, you
have one foot already in the grave, your glass is just running
out, your sun is just going down, and it will set and leave
you in an eternal darkness, unless the Lord be your right-
eousness ! Flee, then, O flee for your lives I be not afraid.
All things are possible with God. If yon come, though it
be at the eleventh hour, Christ Jesus will in no wise cast
you out. Seek then for the Lord to be your righteousness,
and beseech him to let you know how it is that a man may
be born again when he is old !

But I must not forget the lambs of the flock. To feed
them, was one of my Lord's last commands. I know he
will be angry with me, if I do not tell them that the Lord
may be their righteousness ; and that of such is the king-
dom of heaven. Come, then, ye little children, come to
Christ ; the Lord shall be your righteousness. Do not
think that you are too young to be converted. Perhaps
many of you may be nine or ten years old, and yet cannot
say, the Lord is our righteousness; which many have said,
though younger than you. Come, then, while you are
young. Perhaps you may not live to be old. Do not stay
for other people. If your fathers and mothers will not
come to Christ, do you come without them. Let children
lead them, and shew them how the Lord may be their
righteousness. Our Lord Jesus loved little children. You
are his lambs ; he bids me feed you. I pray God make you
willing betimes to take the Lord for your righteousness.

[Extracted from one of Whitefield's sermons.]

Kelso : Published by J. Rutherfurd — Price \s. 6d. per 100
[series to be continued.]

EDINBURGH : PRINTED BY ANDREW JACK.

No. ».

SIN PUT AWAY BY CHRIST.

u But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. — Heb. ix. 26.

This verse states the end for which the Saviour of the
world appeared. It was " to put away sin." This end he
has accomplished. It is no longer a mere purpose, some-
thing future; but already finished. He has done that
which he came into the world to do. He hath put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. That sacrifice was offered
and accepted eighteen hundred years ago. And by that
sacrifice sin was put away. If sin was not put away then,
it certainly has not been put away since, nor can ever be.
There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin; there is no
other putting away of it. The offering up of that sacrifice,
and the putting away of sin, are things now past. And
both of these were finished together upon the cross. We
have therefore glad tidings to proclaim to every sinner;
glad tidings for thee, whosoever thou art, who readest
these lines. Christ hath put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself !

But in what sense has He put away sin? Not in the
sense of putting it out of existence. He has not put it
away so that it has ceased to be. It still exists, as you
know, and perhaps lament. It exists in your heart, and
it exists in your life. It mingles in every thought of the
one, and in every act of the other. To such an extent
does it exist, that in God's pure all-seeing eye, there seems
to be nothing in either but sin. The whole is nothing
but one vast mass of sin. In this sense sin is not put
away from any in the world that now is; — so far from it,
that it overspreads the whole race of man, as widely as
the waters of Noah's deluge overspread the earth. To
that eye which takes in the whole of it at one glance, and
sees the guilt of each man minutely and fully, so hateful a
sight does this guilty world present, that the wonder is,

J. RUTHERFURD S SERIES OF TRACTS.

2 No. 6. — Sin put away by Christ.

that God does not put sin away by the destruction of
every being on whom it appears. So awful a doom could
only be stayed, even for a moment, by that sacrifice of Him-
self, which Christ has offered up. This sacrifice is the
only barrier between a guilty world and the wrath of an
angry God. It is the only thing that prevents the ven-
geance of eternal fire being poured out for the instant
destruction of this sinful earth.

Neither has Christ put away sin in such a sense that it
cannot and will not be punished. Notwithstanding what
He has done, it may be punished, and it is punished in
the case of thousands and tens of thousands in the world
of woe. Christ's death has not blotted hell out of being.
It has not quenched the everlasting burnings, so as to
make it an impossible thing that any sinner should ever
feel them. He has done everything that is necessary to
keep you, or any, even the guiltiest sinner upon earth,
from going to hell. But hell still exists, and the work of
Christ has not made it impossible that you should fall into
it. And notwithstanding that work, the penalty of sin —
of all your sin — may yet be inflicted on your soul there,
even as at this very moment it is inflicted upon countless
myriads of souls, once within the reach of mercy. Just read
these two plain passages (and there are thousands of such)
Eph.v.3 — 6; Col.iii.5,6; and beware of flattering yourselves
that because Christ hath put away sin, you shall not be
punished. On the contrary, while that precious fact pro-
claims that forgiveness is free to all— free to you just now,
and as you are; nothing in the universe proclaims so loudly
that escape from punishment is impossible, and condemna-
tion inevitable, if you refuse what has thus been so gene-
rously provided. Even Christ himself, who was God
clothed with our nature, behoved to die, because standing
in the room of the guilty. And while this fact proclaims
to us that none need to die for their own sins, since this
mighty One has died for sin already, it also declares that
none can possibly escape from death on whom any sin shall
at last be found. For if it was punished when found upon
the Son of God, though not his own, is there any being,
even the highest in creation, that can escape, if even so
much as one sin be found in him?

Christ then hath not put away sin, so that it does not
exist or cannot be punished. But he hath already put
away sin, in such a sense that it no more stands as an
obstacle in the way of your going to God. He has so put
it away that you may go to God just now and as you are,

No. 6 Sin put away by Christ. 3

with all your filth and sin, even as a child goes to the bosom
of its own father. He has so put it away that you may
go to him with every thing you fear, to spread it out be-
fore Him, — with every thing you want, to obtain it from
Him. He has so put it away that you may go to him now
with all boldness, nothing doubting. That which gives
you access at all, gives you access with boldness, and as-
sures you of a welcome. That which gives you any hope
at all, gives you every hope, nay, takes away all ground
for unbelief or fear. Where is there room for doubt,
or suspicion, or want of assured confidence, if Christ
has really done all that this passage declares he has? Once
your sin was such a barrier that there was no access to
God, the fountain of life, for a guilty creature like you.
It made a gulf between you and that blessed fountain,
which, but for the work of Christ, none could ever have
crossed. It barred his throne — it shut his presence against
you. It made you, for anything you could do, an eternal
exile from that presence, which is the paradise of the soul,
and where there are rivers of pleasure for ever. And but
for the work of Christ putting away your sin, this exclu-
sion must have continued for ever. But blessed be his
precious name, He hath now put away sin, so that there is
no more exclusion of you, or any poor sinner upon earth.
The sentence of banishment is repealed. The throne of
God now stands open to you. There is not an obstacle,
not a single stone or straw in your way to it. It is open
and free to all. God is now calling his banished ones
home. He is inviting you to himself just now— inviting
you once more to share in all the fulness that is in Him-
self. And on this invitation, and because the Lamb ot
God has put away sin, you may go to Him at this moment
as freely and confidingly as if you had never sinned at all.
You may go to Him with as confident a heart as any ot
the unfallen angels round his throne. Nay, more so, for
they approach on the ground of a creature's innocence — you
are invited near on the righteousness of Him, who is God over
all. And coming on this ground you may freely ask for
every thing, in the full assurance that all shall be given till
you happen to ask for something better and dearer to God,
than what he has given you already unasked — His own
Son. Poor wanderers! why not on such a ground return
to s.uch a home? Why stand afar off in poverty, rags and
wretchedness, when through the sacrifice of His own Son,
the way to your Father's house, your Father's arms, the
fulness of your Father's love, is entirely open ? Luke xv.

4 No. 6. — Sin put away by Christ.

Christ hath also put away sin in so far as it was an ob-
stacle in the way of God's love flowing forth most freely
towards us, towards any sinner upon earth, towards the
poor guilty sinner who may now be reading these lines.
In consequence of the sacrifice of Himself, none of our
past or present sins are any reason why that love should
not fix on you, and enrich you with all its boundless trea-
sures. Notwithstanding them all, God can, honourably to
himself, and safely in respect to his government, make you
its blessed object, and pour out upon you its immeasurable,
inexhaustible riches. And what He can do He is most
willing to do. You have the assurance of this in the
numberless invitations by which He is inviting you to come
to Himself for every thing.1 For each one of these is as
much addressed to you personally and specially, as if it
had been inscribed with your own name, or sent to you
expressly down from heaven. And all of them not only
imply that he is ready, but even longing to bless you with
the free forgiveness, the overflowing love of a Father's
heart. These are just the calls of His love to you — now
that all obstacles are taken out of the way of its freest and
most unlimited exercise — they are the voice of love sound-
ing upon earth in the ears of every poor wanderer, a wel-
come to all the treasures of a father's grace, a welcome to
the place of a son in a father's heart. And of this blessed
fact you have likewise the assurance in the past doings of
that same love. What has it already done to take every
obstacle away that once withstood your enjoying it? What
has it already given? It has given His own Son. This
is the measure, the manifestation of the Father's love!
Think of it. Try and take its dimensions* That gift
proves it infinite. And dare you not trust an infinite love
— that love being also free? Dare you not cast yourself
without reserve or fear upon a love that is perfectly free
and perfectly infinite ? And now that it is as free to flow
out upon you, as the very light or air of heaven, can you
not leave yourself at its disposal? can you not expect
every thing great and blessed at its hands? If there is
nothing in the way of that free and infinite love, why
may not you enjoy it, as much as any guilty sinner that
has ever gone before you ? And from that love which
has already given the Son, and thus made a free
course for every other, may you not hope to receive even
"all things?" If it gave even the Son, when every

1 Isaiah h. 1. Matt. xi. 28. Rev. xxii. 17.

No. 6. — Sin put away by Christ. £

obstacle stood in the way, what will it not give now
that every obstacle has been taken out of the way by the
propitiation for sin which that Son has made ? Before that
sacrifice was offered, it might be said to be pent up and
confined in the Father's bosom, waiting till the hindrance
should be removed. Now it is no longer pent up. It has
a righteous opening out of which it may issue forth, and a
righteous channel along which to pour itself. Now it is
streaming over on every side. It is flowing on in full tide
towards sinners. It is seeking to flow in to each of you.
And it would enter if you would not close your hearts
against it. It would come in and fill your soul with its
blessed peace, just as the light pours in when the eye is
opened upon the sun. As there is no more obstacle in
the way of the poor prodigal's return to his father, so is
there no more any obstacle in the way of the Father's
most gracious welcome to the poor prodigal. The one is
free to return, the other to receive ; the one may come
without fear, the other may welcome without dishonour.
Christ has made way for both at once, and by the same
act — the sacrifice of Himself. Now that the way is open,
and a Father's arms stretched wide to welcome thee, poor
prodigal wilt thou not return ?

In a word, Christ hath put away sin, so that now it is
no more a necessary and unavoidable cause of punishment
to those who have personally committed it. But for His
sacrifice, it would and must have been so in every case
whatever. The honour of God's character, and the safety
of His holy moral government, would have made this
indispensable. But the one is now so entirely vindicated,
and the other so inviolably protected by the one great
sacrifice of the cross, that no necessity now compels the
moral Governor of the universe to punish sin in the person
of those who commit it. In consequence of that one great
event, and on the ground of it, God can now most honour-
ably dispense forgiveness and eternal life to every guilty
rebel upon earth, and that most freely — without any re-
striction or term whatever — even without money and with-
out price. That great sacrifice did more to vindicate His
character and uphold the rectitude of his government, than
the eternal death of all would have done. In so far as
these are concerned, that one event, once for all, has there-
fore rendered this unnecessary ; and God is accordingly,
in consideration of that alone, with which He is entirely
and for ever satisfied, now offering to pass from the sen-
tence of death in the case of everv sinner whatever, who

6 No. 6. — Sin put away by Christ.

is wishing it at His hands. And should any necessity
henceforth arise for inflicting eternal death, it must be
created by the sinner himself — by his obstinate refusal to
accept deliverance, so generously procured, so freely of-
fered— put thus freely and entirely at his own disposal.
Poor soul ! just look to the sacrifice of the cross, and tell
me after this why you should die ? That was the sacrifice
of Himself God in your flesh ! Think of Him who was
the lawgiver, rising up from his throne, and in the nature
of a creature rendering obedience to its utmost demands.
Was not this doing higher homage to the Majesty of God's
holy 1 w, than could have been done by the entire and
eternal obedience of all mere creatures ? After this, what
can be needed to assert its dignity, and maintain its honour?
Think of Him who was God over all, the source of all life
and being, and, therefore, by infinite degrees better than
all, — think of Him in our flesh, dying in the room of the
guilty ! It is in consequence of this, and this alone, that
God is now proclaiming free forgiveness to all. He can
give you pardon and eternal life, free as He gives you the
light of His sun ; and in consequence of the sacrifice of
Himself, no stain is thereby cast on His character, no
danger accrues to His holy government. This is the
righteous and honourable way in which the holy Go-
vernor of the universe is now offering life to all of our
fallen race. Go, poor sinner, take it at His hand. Go
to Him and be pardoned. Go to Him and be freely
loved. Go to Him and live for ever. All has been
done that is necessary for this. All you need now waits
your mere acceptance. Sin, the only obstacle, has, in the
sense j ast stated, been taken away. All sacrifice has now
ceased. Why ? Because that has been offered which an-
swers all. Look to that sacrifice, and to that alone — and if
the Spirit sheds His light upon it, it will also satisfy you.
It will satisfy your conscience, and take from it the convic-
tion that sin must also be punished in you. That is your
life, your light, your peace, your joy, your all. That and
that alone will fill you with a sense of forgiveness — will as-
sure you of every thing, by assuring you that God is pa-
cified— that God is your friend.

There is no room for any soul to deprive himself of all
this .omfort by saying — " but is it my sin ? no doubt He
hath put away some sin, but can I be sure it is mine ?"
There is no room for such a question, if the sense above
stated be given to the words. In that sense, it is all sin
that is put away. Mark the very language, " to put away

No. 6. — Sin put away by Christ. 7

sin" — sin in general — not some person's merely, but sin
Think of the sense above given to the words, and ask
yourselves if it be not the burden of the whole gospel, the
sum and substance of the good news proclaimed therein to
every sinner without exception ; that considered as a ne-
cessary cause of eternal death to the guilty, or as any
barrier in the way of coming to God, and of God's full
tide of love coming to him, sin hath been put away from
every poor soul, still in this world and on this side of hell.
Besides, if this were not true of all, how could it be true
of any ? Where could even the Apostle Paul, or any of
the Apostles or primitive Christians, obtain the assurance
of their sins being put away, if it was not in the general
declaration respecting Christ's offering once for all. They
had no revelation of this blessed fact, special and peculiar
to themselves. If they found it at all, they found it just
in such an universal declaration as that before us. If they
found it there, why may not you — why may not any ?
Their names are no more there than yours. And if sin
has already been put away by the sacrifice of Himself,
how, if that sacrifice did not put away yours, can you ex-
pect them to be put away now and henceforth by some-
thing done in or by yourself? In that case, yours would
be put away, not by the sacrifice of Himself but by some-
thing in you ? If by that sacrifice, the thing is done
eighteen hundred years ago ; if not then, should it ever
be done, it must be owing, not to Christ's sacrifice, but to
something else which is future and yet to be done.

Oh that men but knew the completeness, perfection,
infinite efficacy of this one sacrifice, and the absolute free-
ness with which, on the ground of it and of it alone, all
the blessings of salvation are offered to every sinner with-
out exception. The knowledge of this would ease their
hearts at once, would assure them at once of every thing —
of safety, of free forgiveness, yea, even of life everlasting.
This grand atonement is the ground of all assurance.
Look to the subsequent context, and say if it be not so,
(ch. x. 19-22.) What is the blessed doctrine of this con-
text? Is it not that Christ hath done by the one offering
of Himself, once for all, what all the offerings under the
law could not do, and which their very repetition proved
they could not do ? All offering is ceased, just because
there is remission now free to all, (verse 18.) And what
is the result of the whole in respect to us ? Why just that
we may come with consciences entirely disburdened by
this one offering, of all dread and apprehension, even in

8 No. 6. — Sin put away by Christ.

the full assurance of faith, that in his Son God is now well
pleased. In this blessed and child-like asssurancewe may now
go to God as our Father for every thing we need or wish for,
in this world and in the world to come ? Oh yes, this sa-
crifice is the ground of all assurance. It is the mere sight
of this sacrifice in all its glorious sufficiency, that heals our
whole spiritual case— that sets us right at once with God,
and makes us safe for eternity. It is not the sight of this
sacrifice and something else — something of our own added
thereto, our own faith in it for instance, that assures th?
soul before God and forms the ground of everlasting con-
solation and good hope through grace. Our faith is just
our seeing that this sacrifice is complete and perfect by itself
alone, neither needing nor admitting the addition of any-
thing else whatever, as a ground of confidence, a ground
of child-like approach to God. For this, it is the sacrifice
alone that needs to be seen, and not our faith along with
it. It is because we think that the latter must be seen
along with the former, and because we are always going
in quest of the latter as the more important of the two,
that our souls see no light, or the mere twilight, the
mingling of light and darkness. In seeking the latter, we
lose sight of the former, and therefore of all our light and
comfort, for it is the former which is the source of all.
Oh that you would look to the sacrifice alone, and by it-
self. Nothing else but that sacrifice seen in all its solitary
naked glory, is necessary to make a heaven within your
hearts even now, and make you sure of heaven hereafter.
I want nothing as my ground of confidence before God, as
the means of assuring me of everything; nothing between
me and hell, but the simple sacrifice of Christ. Let me
see just that sacrifice, and I see the everlasting proof that
there is a love in the heart of God, which is absolutely in-
finite, and which is now free to me and to every humar
being whatever. Can more be needed ? Can more b<
obtained? This is all. " None but Christ — none bu
Christ."

[series to be continued.]

Kelso : J. Rutherfurd, Market Place.

Edinburgh: J. Johnstone; W. Whyte & Co.; and C. Ziegle*

London: James Nisbet & Co.

Price 3s. per 100.

No. 9

THE

WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,

AS RECORDED IN THE SCRIPTURES.

The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him — John xiv. 17.

God has lately been sending showers of his Spirit upon
many dry places of Scotland, — " he has caused waters to
run down like rivers." At such a time, therefore, it is
specially needful for us to remember the words of the Lord,
" Them that honour me I will honour." For how bitter
would be our regret, and how awful our responsibility, if we
were to grieve him away by neglect. Reader, may the
Lord keep you from this sin, lest you should have to mourn
all your after-days, — bewailing the heavens over you as
brass, and no souls converted, — none of your friends awak-
ened,— love waxed cold among the saints, — your own soul
become like Pharaoh's ears of corn, " thin, and withered,
and blasted with the east wind."

In order, therefore, to honour the Spirit, you must know
his workings. " The world cannot receive him, because it
knoweth him not," John xiv. 17. And many believers give
him little honour, because they know him not. O then,
reader, come and see what He has wrought upon the earth !

Let us begin with his works as recorded in the Old Tes-
tament ; and for the sake of distinctness, we shall divide
this part of the history into seven periods.

The First Period is the Creation.

The Holy Spirit, as one of the persons of the glorious
Godhead, created the heavens and the earth. The sea, the
sky, the earth, and even man himself were his work. He

j. Rutherford's series of tracts.

2 No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

removed the waters from the face of the solid earth, and
gathered them into their beds. " The Spirit of God mov-
ed upon the face of the waters," Gen. i. 3. He moved the
vast unwieldy volume of the immense ocean, and put it in
its place. Soon it became a calm expanse, like the sea of
glass in an unfallen world, reposing in clear purity. And
above this ocean, he adorned the sky ; — " by his Spirit he
hath garnished the heavens," Job xxvi. 13. He put every
planet and star in its orb and station, and upholds them
there. He garnished the sky for man's sake. The beauti-
ful clouds of sunset — " the spreadings and balancings of his
clouds," Job xxxvi. 29 ; xxxvii. 16, — and the deep blue sky
at noon, and these stars seen in the clear night, all were the
work of the Spirit. And this earth was adorned by him.
For even now this is his work ; — " thou sendest forth thy
Spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the
earth," Psal. civ. 30. It is he who, even in our fallen
world, brings verdure over the earth when winter is passed,
drawing forth anew, in the season of spring, from the soil,
all that is nourishing, and all that is pleasant to the eye of
man. And by this specimen of his work on earth still, we
may infer the glory of the unfallen creation, and what will
be the restored glory of earth, when, by this same Spirit,
"the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency
of Carmel and Sharon," Isaiah xxxv. 2. He prepared
man's dwelling, — the heavens over his head shining with
unfallen glory, — the sea within his view reflecting the
splendour of the sky, and itself full of wonders, — while the
earth he trod upon scattered its wealth in profusion for his
enjoyment. And when all things were thus ready, he cre-
ated maw; — "the Spirit of God hath made me, and the
breath of the Almighty has given me life," Job xxxiii. 4.

1. Reader, were you ever despairing ? Were you ever
saying*, that none cared for your troubled soul ? Behold,
the Holy Ghost, who has specially to do with the spirits of
men ! behold his love to man ! The interest felt in man
by the Spirit is not less than that felt by the Son and the
Father.

2. Learn the beauty of holiness. For if the beauty of
the unfallen creation in its external aspect, was so perfect,
infinitely more excellent will be that wrought in the inner
man. For the external beauty was in a manner only the
bye-work of the Spirit; whereas, the adorning of the inner
man is his peculiar operation. Judge by this, how beauti-
ful and glorious he will make the soul that receives him.

No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit. $

3. What a mighty creating Spirit is he! How easily,
then, he could renew you, reader, if you are still unconvert-
ed. Conversion is creation-work; Psalm li. 10, " Create in
me a clean heart ;" and here is he who can accomplish it.
Or, are you troubled ? The Spirit who brought order out
of confusion, — making hills take their proper place, and
seas move to their bed, — heaving at his pleasure the un-
wieldy mass of deep waters, — he it is who can bring you to
rest. As he cleared the face of the sky, cleaving asunder
the thick darkness, and shewing " the body of heaven in
its clearness/' so he can dispel your clouds, and shew you
the face of Jesus.

The Second Period is the Fall.

We are sure that the Holy Spirit felt the awful ruin of
man. He is now " grieved/' Ephes. iv. 30, at each indi-
vidual sin. O then, how deep must have been his feeling
when he saw the flood-gate of all sin opened ! And as he
had been the medium of communicating to unfallen man
the love of the Godhead, so now it grieved him to with-
draw.

But we find him not forsaking man. We find his re-
generating and converting work made known the very day
that Adam fell. In the promise that conveyed the glad
tidings of the Redeemer, the work of the Holy Spirit was
contained; — " I will put enmity between thee and the wo-
man; and between thy seed and her seed/' Gen. iii. 15.
In his " enmity" to Satan lies the whole principle of rege-
neration. So that, we have here a statement of conversion,
and that too, in its connection with the work of Christ.
By means of the work of Christ, the Spirit works in the
fallen man, love to God, and enmity to the devil's seed.

1. Reader, observe that the doctrine of regeneration was
taught in Eden. It is an old truth, and one so important,
that it is found among the first principles of redemption.

2. There is need of the entrance of God, the Holy Ghost,
to enable man to escape from Satan. Satan holds the sin-
ner fast. Look at Satan's undisputed dominion — hell !
See how awfully fast every soul is secured ! None escape
from it ; they have chains that never break — fetters that
never snap — and a hand grasps them that none can unclasp
but the Holy Spirit !

3. The Holy Spirit, in delivering a soul, brings the soul

4 No. 9 — The Works of the Holy Spirit.

to side completely with Christ and his cause. "I will put
enmity," &c. The man cannot any more hesitate about his
choice. He becomes decided. Instead of a lingering- love
to the world, and Satan's tempting- offers, his soul is in the
state of " enmity" towards him.

The Third Period is the Flood.

The Holy Spirit had often entered into souls, and saved
them by pointing- to a promised Saviour. And he had
breathed on Enoch the spirit of prophecy, that fallen man
might know more fully of a coming Saviour. The Holy
Spirit preserved this record of his own love to men, by
keeping the prophecy of Enoch in the memory of the fa-
thers, and at last inserting it for our use in the epistle of
Jude.

But as the wickedness of man increased, his love began
to be more strikingly seen ; just as the brightness of a
beacon-light is most seen when darkness has covered the sky.
It is well worthy of our notice, that at every new crisis he
comes into full view. We shall see this verified in all the
after periods of the history. And it proves to us, that he
was all along pervading the ways of God to man.

We find the Holy Spirit before the flood, " striving with
men," Gen. vi. 3. The Holy One strove even with the
giants that were on the earth in those days, and with mon-
sters of iniquity I He strove, and they resisted during 120
years. So unwearied — so patient was his love I And it
was he who raised up and qualified Noah to preach salva-
tion, and enabled him all that long period to persevere
amidst the mockery of the whole earth ! For 1 Peter iii.
19, tells us, that this same Holy Spirit, who afterwards
shewed his love to man, by quickening Jesus, was in the
days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, sent by Jesus
to enable Noah to testify to that wicked generation, who
are now "spirits in prison," — cast into hell, because they
would not hear the call.

The object of his "striving with men," was to lead them
into the ark, that they might be saved. For he foresaw the
terrors of the flood, and the more awful terrors of hell, into
which the flood would sweep them. He heard, though it
was yet distant, their cry of woe and despair, — the weeping,
wailing, and gnashing of teeth in endless remorse. Therefore
he strove with thousands that afterwards perished. He

No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit. 5

strove with old men and little children, young men and
maidens ; and yet they resisted him and perished.

1. Here is an awful fact; the Spirit strives with many
whom He does not convert. How this should be so we are
not told; for He could as easily overcome as strive. But
the fact is beyond a doubt; and its very mystery makes it
more tremendously impressive. If you read the Bible and
are not converted, you resist the strivings of the Spirit; for,
Heb. iii. 7, shews you that He speaks in every verse. And
so, when you hear Christ preached, and are not moved, you
are exactly as 1 Pet. iii. 19, represents the men before the
flood. And Stephen, Acts vii. 51, declares that opposers of
the truth are in the act of continual resistance to the Holy
Ghost. How awful ! A silent contest, spirit against spirit !
the spirit of man against the Spirit of God.

2. Notice the times when He specially strives. We saw
He did so under Noah's preaching, and so still. But His
reason for special striving by very powerful ministers is,
because a flood is coming on you. It may be an intima-
tion of calamity near to our land, that He has raised up
some to preach with special power throughout the land. At
all events, the general fact is plain, that he strives specially
before any calamity comes. Reader, perhaps before you
are to be overtaken by some sore trouble or wasting sick-
ness, or deadly disease, God is striving with your soul !
That alarming passage which you last read may be sent
to arouse you now, because the billows of a flood are almost
wetting your feet.

3. Learn the object of all the Spirit's strivings and convic-
tions. It is in his deep love to draw you into the ark. No
doubt he enabled Noah to persuade with great earnestness,
and to shew the place of safety — to describe the ark, and
its security, impenetrable by water, proof against the dash-
ing billows. Just so now he enables his ministers, in
prospect of the fiery deluge — when the gates, instead of
" the windows" of heaven, shall be wide opened to let the
flood pour along — to urge sinners to flee. He it is that
enables them, for your sake, reader, to set forth the full
provision made for you in Christ — to tell you that there is
an ark ready, if you will only be pleased with it, and go in —
a Saviour ready, with whom the Father is well pleased, and
with whom he wishes you to be satisfied, as he is himself.
If you believe your danger, and that an ark with an open
door is offered you, you will certainly enter in.

4. Ministers learn that their strength lies, like Noah's, in

i

6 No. 9 — The Works of the Holy Spirit.

being- upheld by the Spirit. They are raised up by the
Spirit to testify of Christ, the ark.

5. Behold the immensity of the Holy Spirit's love! He
goes through thousands upon thousands 1 As at Pentecost
he displayed his love by coming on some, from all kindreds
and people, so here also.

The Fourth Period is the First Centuries after the Flood.

Earth was peopled again, and the Spirit did not forsake
the place where he had striven in vain. The confusion of
tongues at Babel was undoubtedly his work, just as the
gift of tongues at Jerusalem. The love of the Spirit is
here seen, in as much as he thus took direct means to pre-
vent man's pride, and broke up their company, and led
them away one from another. He wished to stem the
torrent of sin. And then he exhibited his marvellous
power, by setting apart individuals, and keeping them safe
amidst an apostate generation. He formed such a cha-
racter as Abraham, full of faith — like a lofty pillar erect
on a desolate heath. He gave Joseph his holiness and
discretion, so that Pharaoh said, "The Spirit of God is in
him," Gen. xli. 38. It is every way probable, also, that
about this time Job was kept separate in a heathen land
— a monument of the work of the Holy Spirit, in opposition
to the " spirit that worketh in the children of disobedi-
ence." In him " the enmity" between Satan and the
woman's seed was eminently displayed. And Job knew
the Spirit who preserved and sanctified him; for he speaks
of his works in passages which we have already quoted.

1. Believers, learn from this the immense power of the
Spirit. You see He can keep a spark alive amidst the
ocean — Joseph in Egypt. There is immense power mani-
fested in regeneration, and also in the preservation of the
regenerated, as you find, Ephes. i. 19, "the exceeding
greatness of his power to usward who believe." Never
despond. If you are tried by friends, or " by iniquity at
your heels, compassing you about," Psalm xlix. 5, yet
remember the power of the Holy Ghost. It will glorify
hirn the more to keep you safe.

2. Sinner, you cannot excuse yourself by saying that you
are hedged in by insuperable barriers, that your situation
makes it impossible for you to obey God. It may be you
are rich, or perhaps poor, and on that account tried with

No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit. 7

the prospect of temporal ruin if you are to be on God's
side. Therefore you say, '; There is a lion in the way/'
Frov. xxii. 13. But the Holy Spirit is able to make you
stand, and keep you from falling-, and present you spotless.
The root of your hesitation is a willingness to find it
impossible — a desire to be able to say with apparent
fairness, " I pray thee have me excused." If you doubt the
Holy Spirit's power and willingness to keep you from
falling, you make God a liar, and you love darkness rather
than light.

The Fifth Period is, Israel in the Desert.

In this period we find the Spirit manifesting1 himself in a
threefold manner. The first was, his leading Israel through
the great wilderness. When any great thing was to be done
for man, we always find the Spirit come into view. Now,
one great end to be accomplished by separating Israel from
other nations was, the coming of the Redeemer — it was,
therefore, a scheme that breathed love to the whole world.
No wonder, then, that we find it written, "As a beast goeth
down into the valley, so the Spirit of the Lord caused him
to rest," Isaiah lxiii. 14. We find him directing and
counselling the people, and turning the heart of enemies.
When their desert-state was nearly ended he put into the
lips of Balaam some of the sweetest words of comfort and
blessing that Israel ever heard.

1. Providences are under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
He turns the heart of men, — suggests, hinders, excites. A
person that speaks to you on the road may be sent by
Him. A person's change of plan or purpose may be His
direct act. And thus he may answer many a prayer.

2. Ministers get words from the Spirit, like Balaam.
And this is a most encouraging truth, when connected with
the preceding. The ministrations prepared for you, Acts
x. 19, and your being led by Him up to the temple, like
Simeon, Luke i. 27, all will be arranged with divine wisdom
for your salvation.

3. Your sphere in life has been directed by the Spirit. He
leads you in the desert. He prevented people offering you a
better situation — and He reconciles your mind to the place
where you are — " causes you to rest."

But a second way wherein the Holy Spirit, at this
period, manifested his love to man was, in the Tabernacle.

8 No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

While in the desert, the tabernacle was set up, full of the
types of Christ. And we read how the Holy Spirit filled
Bezaleel, and Aholiab; " I have filled them with the Spirit
of God, in wisdom, and in understanding-, and in knowledge,
and in all manner of workmanship," Exod. xxxi. 3. The
object of the skill so imparted was, to enable them accu-
rately and faithfully to form the various vessels and furni-
ture, which were all to typify the Redeemer. As no man
can know Christ except by the Holy Spirit's teaching-, so
none could successfully execute the patterns of heavenly
things except by his guidance. And therefore these two
men, and as many besides as were engaged in the work,
were filled for it by the Spirit ; "in the heart of all the wise-
hearted I have put wisdom," Exod. xxxi. 6. It was a day
of Pentecost to the Old Testament church — " he gave gifts
to men," that they might make known Christ. Learn from
this,

1. The Spirit's deep concern in your salvation. He
takes care to have the way pointed out clearly and accu-
rately.

2. No one can come to a saving acquaintance with Christ
without the Holy Spirit, John xvi. 14.

3. Ministers are taught that they cannot set forth Christ
to their people without the direct teaching of the Spirit.
Without him they may show a Christ, but not a full, living
Saviour — some lineaments of his form will be wanting, —
something of his beauty hid.

But there was a third way, during this period, whereby
the Holy Spirit manifested himself. He gave a type of
himself. He taught them to erect a Laver in the taber-
nacle, opposite the altar. This Laver was a type of the
Holy One. It stood filled with pure, clear, crystal water;
and when the sun shone upon it, it would attract the eye of
every worshipper, and would resemble the stream, "clear as
crystal, that proceedeth out of the throne of God, and of the
Lamb," Rev. xxii. 1. Israel was urns taught how beauti-
ful is holiness, and that all purity came from this full source,
the Holy Spirit. Even after he had cleared away sin
at the altar, he found himself requiring a purity that could
be communicated only by God. The worshipper saw that
being justified by the blood of atonement, he must forth-
with look for sanctification from the Spirit. The work of
Christ, and the work of the Spirit were held forth in equal
clearness; and there was no possibility of passing into the
Holy Place without approaching both Altar and Laver.

No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

The Sixth Period is the time of the Judges.

After Israel had reached the land of Promise, and set up
their tabernacle there, they soon forgot the Lord. They
turned their eye away from the glorious mass of types
whereby they might have been kept ever looking to the
coming Saviour. As a consequence of their sin, the enemy
came in as a flood. Often there seemed no hope of deli-
verance— often it had come to the extremity, that the Taber-
nacle and the Ark — the type and pledge of a coming- Re-
deemer— as well as the very people from whom Christ was to
come were on the point of being swept away. Had this been
permitted to take place, where would have been the hope
of man ?

But the love of the Spirit appeared now again. It was
he who raised up judges and deliverers. "The Spirit of
the Lord came upon Othniel, and he judged Israel and
went out to war," Judges iii. 10. And so it is said of Gi-
deon, *« The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon," vi. 34 ;
and of many others.

Reader, be excited by this, 1. To pray for the raising- up
of instruments for the work of the Lord. We need them
in church and state, and he is willing to send them, and
often does it suddenly. In your prayer-meetings ask this
specially from the Holy Spirit; for it is written, " when the
enemy comes in as a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise
a standard against him," Isaiah lix. 19. And we might
have noticed, in the desert-time, that Moses no sooner
sought help, because unable to bear all the people, than lo !
the Spirit came upon seventy of the elders, Numb. xi. 25.
And, reader, 2. If you want courage to confess Christ be-
fore men, the Spirit is he who gives it. He gave it to Gi-
deon, who before shrunk from all trial, and was threshing
wheat in a retired, concealed spot, from fear of men.
3. If a day of trial is near, then our provision is in the
Holy Spirit — "a Spirit of power" — able to prepare Christ's
weakest saints, even if they be called to endure tortures and
martyrdom.

The Seventh period is the time of the Kings.

Though often grieved and vexed, the Holy Spirit, in his
wondrous love, continued from time to time to raise up de-

10 No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

liverers, until the days of Saul. Israel had sinned in seeking
a king-, yet when Saul had been appointed, " the Spirit of
the Lord came on him," 1 Sam. xi. 6, and ix. 9, to give the
heart for his office. It was, however, only a gift to be used
for others, it was not grace to himself. And farther, in
his days, Samuel the prophet presided over those schools
of the prophets, where there was so much of the Holy Spi-
rit, that many who mingled with these for a night became
new men. 1 Sam. xix. 20, 21.

Memorable lessons were taught to the world at that time,
viz. Gifts are not the same thing as grace. A minister
may edify his people, and yet be, like Saul, just a rod in
the Spirit's hand to smite the rock, or as an iron pipe through
which pure refreshing water flows. In our days it is a
warning much needed. Public zeal, and being a blessing to
others, is not grace in itself. It may often be Saut's gift.
On the other hand, the schools of the prophets exhibited
a work of the Spirit in reality, and they were the salt of the
land. The gifts and the graces of the Spirit were dis-
played separately, perhaps on purpose to shew how certain
it is that they are not the same.

But soon after both were united in the person of David,
1 Sam. xvi. 13. During many years he was tried in the
furnace, and all that time the Spirit was sanctifying the
man for his future work. He was deepening his holiness, that
it might be unshaken amidst the honour of a kingdom. Hav-
ing finished his preparatory work on David, he raised him to
the throne, and suggested to his mind many schemes for
the advancement of the glory of God. The ark was
brought to mount Zion with great honour and triumph, and
so Christ in type was thus brought eminently into view of
all Israel. And then the book of Psalms was dictated to
David by the same Spirit, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2; a book where the
name of Christ is as ointment poured forth, in his sufferings
and in his glory.

The same was repeated, but in a higher degree, in the
days of Solomon. The Holy Spirit suggested the plan of .
the magnificent temple, 1 Chron. xxviii. 19, which being at
last completed, the Saviour in type was exhibited thereby in
a glory never known before. The splendour was such that
all ends of the earth came to see it. All this was the work
of the Spirit, " the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit,"
1 Chron. xxviii. 12; he was taking the things of Christ, and
shewing them to the world. No doubt many souls that came,
attracted by the splendour of the temple, learnt the way of

No. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit. 11

salvation, and returned home glorifying God. The Song of
Songs, written at the same time, set forth the glory of the
Redeemer, as the book of Psalms had done. And we find, as
a consequence of all this, that both in the days of David and
of Solomon, there was a most extensive revival of true reli-
gion. These were times of refreshing. Indeed, there were
never in Israel such happy times as when Solomon's temple
was finished; as if to show the endless streams of joy that
flow from a fully set forth Saviour.

Learn here, 1. That a revival proceeds from the love and
power of the Holy Spirit. He raises up instruments and
gives the blessing. If a minister come among a people,
and be blessed to him, it was the Spirit who sent him, and
clothed him with power; and the people who would keep
what they obtain must acknowledge his love.

2. The Spirit revives and quickens souls, whether indivi-
dually or on a large scale, by bringing Christ fully into
view. At the time when, in behalf of the whole nation, he
was setting forth Christ in the magnificent temple, he was
also carrying in the same truth to private dwellings, and
making it permanent there by means of the Psalms and
Song of Songs.

O reader, this wondrous Spirit shewed in detail at that
time many of his peculiar acts. He taught David that he
alone is the author of conversion, " Create in me a clean
heart," — and of continuing holiness, " Uphold me by thy
free Spirit," Psa. li. 10, 12, — and of all discoveries of God,
" Thy Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness,"
Psa. cxliii. 10. And, O reader, he shewed that he is tra-
versing the earth seeking souls, "Whither shall I go from
thy Spirit," Psa. cxxxix, and that he will come and reside in
souls that turn their eyes to the glorious Saviour, "Turn ye
at my reproof; behold, I will pour my Spirit into you," Prov.
i. 23.

During the reign of#the other kings of Judah, many
books of Scripture were written for all ages; each a gift of the
Holy Ghost to the children of men. And the nearer the
prophets lived to the day of Christ's actual coming in the
flesh, more and more of the Spirit was revealed. The more
fully Christ is revealed and glorified, then the more of the
Spirit ; this is a principle that pervades the whole ways of
God. In the prophets he is always spoken of in connec-
tion with Christ's work. Isaiah was told that in future
days, he would rest on Jesus, to furnish him for his work ;
and three times is this truth declared, see chap. xi. 1-3,

12 JVo. 9.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

chap. xlii. 1. and lxi. 1 — 3 ; and see in this fact his desire to
fix our eye on the infinitely peffect work of Jesus ! His
desire is to lead you, sinner, to rest there. When Christ did
come, there was no spot on earth's surface whereon the
Spirit would rest but the person of Jesus. He passed by
the rich fields, — the mines of gold, — the wealthy cities, —
the ceiled palaces, and repaired to the desert, that he might
rest and abide on Jesus ! And so we find, while Christ's
coming was still only foretold, he looked through the future
scenes of earth, and no one seems to attract attention ex-
cept the work of the Saviour and its effects. When the
men of Israel lost sight of the hope of their fathers, seven-
ty years' captivity ensued, and the Holy Spirit revealed to
Ezekiel and Zechariah that he would be the author of their
deliverance, by turning them to the Redeemer, and then
dwelling in them. The remedy for Israel's still-continued
desolation will be, the Spirit directing their eye to Jesus, —
" I will pour upon the house of David and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications, and
they shall look upon me whom they pierced," Zech. xii. 10.
I* Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall
be clean, from all your filthiness, from all your idols will
I cleanse you," — (this is the Saviour's work applied, the
hyssop passing through the conscience; and then,) "Anew
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put with-
in you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and give you a heart of flesh ; and I will put my Spiill
within you," Ezek. xxxvi. 25.

Thus, reader, the love and office and power of the Spirit
were sounded in the full voice of prophecy over ages and
generations; and they have reached you. Behold! he
strives to find entrance into that soul of yours. Will you
resist the Holy Ghost ? or is he to come in and say of your
soul,

<•' This is my rest, here will I stay,
" For I do like it well ?"

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No. 11.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN.

FATHERS, TO YOUNG MEN, AND TO LITTLE CHILDREN.

" These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." — Chap. i. t.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
of the Word of life ; (for the life was manifested, and we
have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eter-
nal life which was with the Father, and was manifested un-
to us) ; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us : and truly
our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your
joy may be full.

This then is the message which we have heard of him,
and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with
him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth :
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ
his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say

j. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 11.— The First Epistle of John.

that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word
is not in us.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye
sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous : And he is the pro-
pitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for
the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that
saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is
a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth
his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected : here-
by know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth
in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but
an old commandment, which ye had from the beginning:
the old commandment is the word which ye have heard
from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write
unto you, which thing is true in him and in you ; because
the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He
that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in
darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abid-
eth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in
him :* But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and
walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth,
because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

I write unto you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven you for His name's sake. I write unto you, fa-
thers, because ye have known him that is from the begin-
ning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have over-
come the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, be-
cause ye have known the Father. I have written unto you,
fathers, because ye have known him that is from the begin-
ning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are
strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have
overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the

• i. e. There is nothing which can cause him to stumble or fall,
for by walking in love he walks in light, and therefore sees his way.

No. 11 — The First Epistle of John, 3

things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he
that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Little children, it is the last time : and as ye have heard
that antichrist shall come, even now are there many anti-
christs; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went
out from us, but they were not of us : for if they had been
of us, they would no doubt have continued with us : but
they went out, that they might be made manifest that they
were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy
One, and ye know all things.* I have not written unto you
because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and
that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar, but he that de-
nieth that Jesus is the Christ ? He is antichrist, that de-
nieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the
Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknow-
ledged the Son, hath the Father also. Let that therefore
abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If
that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain
in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Fa-
ther. And this is the promise that he hath promised us,
even eternal life.

These things have I written unto you, concerning them
that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have receiv-
ed of him abideth in you ; and ye need not that any man
teach you : but as the same anointing teacheth you of all
things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath
taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little chil-
dren, abide in him ; that, when he shall appear, we may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his com-
ing. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every
one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

• i. e. The anointing of the Holy Ghost, — so Christ had told
them that the Comforter was to " teach them all things," John xiv. 26.

4 No. 11.— The First Epistle of John.

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God I there-
fore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the' sons of God ; and it doth not
yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him
as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever commit-
teth sin transgresseth also the law : for sin is the transgres-
sion of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to
take away our sins ; and in him is no sin. Whosoever
abideth in him sinneth not : whosoever sinneth hath not
seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man
deceive you : he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even
as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil ;
for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose
the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the
works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not
commit sin ; for his seed remaineth in him : and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of
God are manifest, and the children of the devil : whosoever
doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that lov-
eth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard
from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not
as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.
And wherefore slew he him ? Because his own works were
evil, and his brother's righteous.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We
know that we have passed from death unto life, because we
love the brethren : he that loveth not his brother abideth
in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in
him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid
down his life for us : and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and
seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelletb the love of God in
him?

{

No. 11. — Tlie First Epistle of John. 5

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in
tongue ; but in deed, and- in truth. And hereby we know
that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before
him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our
heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart con-
demn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And
whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his
commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his
sight. And this is his commandment, That we should be-
lieve on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one
another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keep-
eth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him ;
and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit
which he hath given us.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whe-
ther they are of God, because many false prophets are gone
out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God :
Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God ; and every spirit that confesseth not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God ; and
this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that
it should come ; and even now already is it in the world.
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them ;
because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the
world. They are of the world ; therefore speak they of the
world, and the world heareth them. We are of God : he
that knoweth God heareth us ; he that is not of God hear-
eth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the
spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God ;
and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth
God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God ; for God is
love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us,
because that God sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through him. Herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man

6 No. 1 1 .— The First Epistle of John.

hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God
dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby
know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he
hath given us of his Spirit.

And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent
the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him,
and he in God. And we have known and believed the love
that God hath to us. God is love ; and he that dwelleth
in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our
love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day
of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love ; but perfect love casteth out fear ;
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a
liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen ? And this
commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God
love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God : and every one that loveth him
that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him. By
this we know that we love the children of God, when we
love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the
love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our
faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? This is he that
came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ ; not by water
only, but by water and blood : and it is the Spirit that
beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and
the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one. And there are
three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water,
and the blood : and these three agree in one. If we receive
the witness of men, the witness of God is greater ; for this

No. 11 The First Epistle of John, 7

is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in
himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar ,
because he believeth not the record that God gave of his
Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us
eternal life ; and this life is in his Son. He that hath the
Son hath life ; and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on
the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye
have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of
the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have
in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will he
heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever
we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired
of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not
anto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them
that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death : I do
not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is
sin : and there is a sin not unto death. We know that
whosoever is born of God sinneth not : but he that is be-
gotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one touch-
eth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the
whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the
Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know him that is true; and we are in him
that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the
true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. Amen.

HYMN. 1 John iii. 2, 3.

What must it be to dwell above,
At God's right hand where Jesus reigns,

Since the sweet earnest of his love
O'erwhelms us on these dreary plains !

No heart can think, no tongue explain

What bliss it is with Christ to reign.

8

When sin no more obstructs our sight,
When sorrow pains our hearts no more.

How shall we view the Prince of light,
And all his works of grace explore !

What heights and depth of love divine

Will there through endless ages shine !

This 13 the heaven I long to know ;

For this with patience I would wait,
Till, wean'd from earth and all below,

I mount to my celestial seat ;
And wave my palm, and wear my crown,
And with the elders cast them down.

KELSO : Published by J. Rutherfurd. Price 3s. per 100.

(SERIES TO BE CONTINUED.)

No. 13.

THE WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

PART II.

AS RECOltDED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

" Tliere were seven lamps of fire, burning before the throne; which
are the seven spirits of God . . . sent forth into all the earth" Rev. iv.
5. , v. 6.

Reader, do you often consider your special privilege, and
responsibility now, when there is more of the Spirit within
reach of fallen man than before Christ's coming? The
fact is stated in John vii. 39, and the reason of it also.

The Spirit would not have breathed at all upon fall-
en man, unless atonement had been offered for sin. The
love of the Holy Spirit is holy love ; it waits for a holy
channel through which to flow. Such a channel was opened
by the promise of a Redeemer in Eden, and the Spirit forth-
with began his work of regenerating man. Abel, Enoch,
Melchizedec, Abraham, and thousands more, were renewed
and sanctified by him, long ere Jesus had died. But all was
done on the understanding that Jesus was yet to die; the
sins of those whom he sanctified were reckoned as suffered for,
and the Lamb was reckoned slain from the beginning of the
world. Still, in order to keep the world in mind that the
righteous God would never give up his demand for entire
satisfaction ; there was only a part of the Spirit's fulness
given out, previous to the time when Christ actually came
and paid the full ransom. The anxious world was kept
waiting for the joyful cry, " It is finished !'' "Because Je-
sus was not glorified, the Holy Spirit was not yet given."
WJien we see only the hands and feet of a man, we do
not say we have seen the man ; for we have not seen his face
and form ; so, says the Evangelist, a right idea of what
the Spirit is, was not yet given to man. But, as the time
drew on to Christ's actual death, more was given ; and when
the Saviour's work was declared to be accepted in his ascen-
sion, the streams of the full Spirit poured down upon the
earth. Like the seven streams of the river of Egypt, this
copious flood came down ; the one infinite Spirit emptying
himself on the earth in seven streams, Rev. i. 4. Let us,
then, draw your attention, reader, to some of the wonderful
things recorded of him, as he came forth in this fuller ma-
nifestation.

I. His wonderful work on the soul of John the Baptist.

He entered the soul of the forerunner of the Lord, while

J. RDTHERFURD'S SERIES OF TRACTS.

2 No. \3.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

yet an infant in the womb. John was thus sanctified from
the womb ; and the evidence of the Spirit's -work appeared
in him even then, in as much as a distinct intimation of the
Saviour's coming made the babe leap for joy.

Little children, see how the Holy Spirit loves you. Look
at John the Baptist, and you can no more say it is too soon
for the Spirit to love you, and too soon for you to need
him. Look at John and tell us, why you too should not
be holy now? Look at this infant boy, filled with the
Spirit, and tell us why you have not got him yet ? Did
you ever know that on the day that you were baptized, he
offered to come to you ? Will you resist the Holy Ghost ?

Parents, the Holy Spirit can sanctify souls in the womb;
why are your children not thus sanctified ? Some of you
complain of your children's temper and conduct ; but have
you asked for them the Spirit, offered in baptism ? And
have you taught your children that he did offer himself to
them ? O for your own soul's sake, care for your children !
Many pious parents are punished in the barrenness of their
own souls for the carelessness of their families. Holiness
in your seed would come back on yourselves. <c Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Ghost, when the babe leapt for joy
at Mary's voice,1 and Zechariah was filled with the Holy
Ghost and prophesied," when he recognised the work of
God in his infant son.2

II. His wonderful work in the birth of Christ.

Gabriel was sent to tell Mary that Immanuel was to be
born of her. " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee."3
Mary's sinful nature was by him sanctified that she might be
a habitation for " the child that was to be born to us." When
Christ shall come to set up his throne on earth, earth shall be
fully purified ; so, when Mary was to receive the heir of that
throne, she was fully prepared, and the child born of her was
" the holy child Jesus," without spot or wrinkle of sin.4 What
a moment was that wherein the Word became flesh ! Reader,
here is the " mystery of godliness I" The Spirit who at
creation fashioned the unfallen earth and sky, prepared in
that hour the human nature of Christ. The Father gives
the word, and the Son responds to the Father, as he saw
the Holy Spirit complete his work, "Lo! I come to do thy
will, O God — a body hast thou prepared me !"3 and forthwith
He is on earth, in our nature, who was to be our sacrifice !

Learn here, 1. The sovereign grace of the Holy Spirit.
His sovereignty is the same as that of the Father; he
comes in free grace to whom he will. He is doing for
man what he never did for fallen angels; he is giving

1 Luke i. 41. ■ Luke \. 67. » Luke i. 85.

* Acts iv. 30. Hebrews x. 5.

No. 13— The Works of the Holy Spirit. 3

his own nature to fallen man ! 0 reader, may you be
one of the vessels of mercy whom he fills!

2. The Holy Spirit's anxiety that a complete Saviour
should be provided for man. It was on this account he so
prepared the person of Immanuel. The sacrifice chosen
for us, was one that from the first was spotless, and there-
fore sure to be accepted whenever it should be offered.
And when our great sacrifice was shewn in the temple soon
after he came, the gracious* Spirit led Simeon to behold
him, and filled his soul with peace.1

III. His work during Christ's thirty years' retirement.
He continued to dwell in Christ's human nature, like the

glory filling Solomon's temple. He daily breathed more
and more wisdom into Christ's human soul, and brought
out more and more grace into manifestation ; rays of the
indwelling glory were made from time to time to stream
forth upon the surrounding darkness. "He increased in
wisdom, and stature, and in favour with God and man."2
All this, too, while Nazareth was his place of abode. Du-
ring nearly thirty years, Jesus lived in Nazareth, a city not-
ed for its wickedness; the Holy Spirit carried on the holiest
work ever seen on earth in the midst of the vilest city.
The contrast made the work more evident and marvellous.
How powerful the holiness of God ! O reader, Christ's
salvation is a holy salvation; in his person, the Spirit shews
you the possibility of being holy even in the midst of an evil
world, " godly in this present world."* The Holy One of
God emerges from polluted Nazareth. Are your neigh-
bours evil ? Are your friends ungodly ? Are your parents
enemies of God ? Yet behold the Spirit'6 work in Nazar-
eth, and be of good cheer.

IV. His work at the baptism of Christ.

He came then specially to give his human nature all
gifts for his office, and Isaiah's prophecy (lxi. 1.) was then
fulfilled to the very eye of man. Anxious that nothing
should be left undone for us, he so anointed Jesus that
'* he returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee."4 Jor-
dan, when it overflowed all its banks, would be but a feeble
type of the abundance of the Spirit poured that day on
Jesus ; for he was poured out on him without measure.5

But notice, reader, that the Spirit did this in a way that
shewed his own intense desire for your salvation. Heaven
opened — there was brightness above the brightness of the
midday sun, and, while every eye was fixed on "the body of
the heavens in its clearness," the Holy Ghost came down
from the Father and rested on Jesus, "in a bodily form, like

1 Luke ii. 27. " led by the Spirit." 3 Luke ii. 52.
* Titus ii. 12. * Luke iv. 14. » John iii. 34.

4 No. IS.-— The Works of the Holy Spirit

a dove." He did the nearest thing to becoming visible;
for he caused his presence to be marked by a u bodily form,
like a dove." As at Pentecost tongues of fire rested on the
disciples, so a bright form, like a dove, rested on Jesus as
he stood in the streams of Jordan !

We see here, 1st, The Holy Spirit glorifying Christ in the
sight of sinners. He points him out to the notice of a care-
less world. He recommends him to you by bringing attrac-
tive glory round him. Oh he longs to draw your attention
to Jesus that you may be forced to cry, "there is beauty in
him that I should desire him."

2c?. We see the Spirit teaching anxious souls that it is
Christ who brings peace to the sinner. For he chose the
form of a dove when he abode on Jesus, and so brought into
view the feelings of God toward the world when the deluge
was past. Noah's dove was the messenger of peace, bring-
ing good tidings that the flood of wrath was assuaged. And
so on Jordan's waters, the Spirit points to Jesus, " who is
our peace" — his olive-branch is the plant of renown.

And 3d. We see the Spirit teaching us that Christ brings
in a new creation. He had never come in such visible
energy since the day when he " moved on the face of the
deep." But now he does so again, because the Creator is
here, and a new creation begun.

V. His work during Christ's public ministry.

As soon as he had publicly anointed the Saviour and
furnished him fully, he led him to be tempted forty days of
the devil.1 The Spirit thus shewed his own power, for he
kept the slightest breath of evil from entering him whom
he upheld, although every form of sin, in every pleasant
disguise, was successively presented. But his special in-
tention in this case was tp let us see that our Ark was
well able to withstand the storm, that it was waterproof and
indestructible. He was anxious that we should know this
truth, and therein possess strong consolation ; anxious, too,
that by Christ's example we might learn how to overcome
when tempted; and anxious that we might see sympathy
ready for us in our Redeemer's breast, "in that he himself
was tempted."3

When our Redeemer was performing his miracles, he
declared that he acted by " the Spirit of God."3 He said
this when casting out devils, thereby teaching us that the
Holy Spirit is Satan's grand opposer, and takes his place
in the heart that Christ has cleansed. And when you see
also how being " full of the same Spirit," Jesus raised the
dead and healed diseases, remember that it may be through
the direct operation of that Spirit w who made you," (Job

1 Luke iv. 1. Matt. iv. 1. * Hebrews ii. 18. 3 Matt. xii. 28.

No. 13.— The Works of the Holy Spirit 5

xxxiii. 4.) that health is breathed through your frame, and
refreshing sleep made to restore your wearied body.

But never were the Spirit's power and love to man more
manifest than at Christ's death. It was " by the eternal
Spirit,"1 that he offered himself to God without spot. The
sacrifice was all put in order by him, so that obedience, love,
intense desire for the Father'6 glory, and yearning over sin-
ners, were felt in their highest degrees in the soul of Jesus
at that awful moment. And all was completed when for our
sakes the Spirit caused the communications of love towards
the beloved Son to run so low, that he cried, " My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me I" And in the same anx-
iety of love, how fully did he shew himself in Jesus at the
Tesurrection-morning — " the Spirit of holiness" raising him
from the grave and declaring him the Son of God with power.2
And ever since that hour he has delighted to give power to
the witness borne of the finished work of the Redeemer;3
because therein a sinner finds all that is needed for his par-
don and peace.

VI. Christ's Discourses, and Promises concerning Him.

We have seen the Spirit's operation in the various scenes
of Christ's life-time here; let us see also what Christ him-
self used to tell of him to his disciples.

When he first began to teach, he pointed to the Spirit —
11 the Spirit of the Lord is upon me."4 And the first of
his recorded conversations is that with Nicodemus, wherein
he explained how no man can enter the kingdom of hea-
ven till he is born of that Spirit who was typified by the
pure water under the Old Testament dispensation. Reader,
Christ has seen all the souls that ever entered heaven,
and he declares that not one has entered who had not
first been born again. He puts his seal to his truth,
44 Verily, Verily,"5 three times in the course of that one
conversation, and declares with awful solemnity, " We
speak what we do know, and testify what we have seen !"
Reader, has the Spirit come to you ? Are you new-born ?
Has he ever come to you, like " fire," to burn up the
stubble ?6 or as " the rain" softly entering your soul,
while you read the Scriptures ? or as a " quick two-edged
sword," piercing you with deep convictions ? and then
descending as a dove, has he shewn you peace after your
many alarms ? The time and manner of his coming it would
be interesting to know ; but this can be wanted ; the all-
important question is, Has he come?

During his ministry, Christ often spoke of him as the

1 Hebrews ix. 14. 3 Romans i. 4. Ephes. i. 19.

" Acts iv. 31, 33. * Luke iv. 14, 13.

* John iii. 3, 5, 11. ■ Isaiah iv. 4.

6 No. 13.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

great gift he would bestow on his children.1 Often he
warned those around him of blaspheming him. On one
of the most remarkable days of his ministry — the great
day of the Feast of Tabernacles, he held forth this gift
as the grand effect of believing on the Saviour.2 But
when the time drew near that he must leave the world,
he spake of Him more and more. How full of him
are his discourses in John xiv. xv. xvi. He taught his
disciples to lean on the Spirit as their guide into all truth ;
and told them that in doing so he would convince them of
sin, fixing the sinner's gaze especially on the sin of reject-
ing his Saviour — next, would convince them of righteous-
ness, satisfying them that it was to be found in the Re-
deemer, because, after wearing the garment, he had gone
and shewn it to the Father — and finally, convince them of
this, that judgment was given against Satan, the Prince of
this world, and that his cause was ruined, the head of the
Serpent being crushed. He further told them that his of-
fice would specially be to take up the things that concerned
the Saviour and shew them to souls; so that doubting,
dark, anxious minds might at once be relieved, when no
minister or guide on earth could help them (see 1 Cor.
li. 12.) Already he had taught them that all their useful-
ness would depend on the measures they received of this
Spirit; "out of him shall flow rivers of living water/'
and they found it so in their after experience. (See Acts
iv. 31, 33, and the account of Pentecost.) On the very
day he left them, when just about to ascend, he said, " Be-
hold, I send the promise of my Father."3

Reader, observe, 1. How in all our Lord's ministry he
led his disciples to the Spirit, even as the Spirit leads all
souls to Christ — the Spirit leads all coming sinners to the
Altar; and when there they have met Jesus, Jesus sends
them to the Laver. 2. The best gift that our ascended
king could select for his beloved disciples, out of all the
riches of heaven, and all its joys, was the gift of the
Holy Ghost. Does it seem small in your eyes? 3. Put
together all that Jesus said of this gift, and can you for-
bear to covet it? Reader, if you are a believer you have
access to large supplies of this Spirit. For Luke xi. 13. de-
clares the Father's heart toward you, and John xvi. 7. gives
you a resistless plea — " If I depart, I will send him !" Say
then, " he has departed- — we are waiting for our Head, for
be is in the heavens — therefore Lord, send the Comforter !'*
If you have not large supplies of the Spirit, it is as much
your guilt as it was in the case of any weary and thirsty
Israelite who, though he walked beside the stream from the

4 Luke xi. 13. 9 John vii. 39. 3 Lukcxxiv. 49. Acts i. 8.

No. 13.— The Works of the Holy Spirit. 7

smitten rock, yet drank only sparingly, because he was re-
luctant to stoop down.

VII. His work — his full outpouring after Christ 's death.

We have seen why he was not fully poured out till
Christ was glorified. But in his ascension, Christ was
fully glorified ; his person being the sacrifice once offered ;
and that sacrifice during forty days after the resurrection,
6hone upon by the Father's glory, as its resplendent seal;
and thereafter presented in heaven. There was now no
hindrance to the Spirit's full outpouring ; He therefore pre-
pared to come down. Ten days he kept the disciples at Je-
rusalem waiting, that they might be the more thirsty, and
welcome his coming the more. Meanwhile he brought all
his fulness to the person of the now glorified Immanuel, and
made him the fountain out of which the living waters were
to flow. The Laver in the heavenly temple was thus placed
beside the Altar — so that behold, sinner, you cannot be sanc-
tified otherwise than by approaching the Saviour I This ful-
filled that ancient prophecy, " thou hast ascended on high,
thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men."1
And in the visions which have been granted to the
Church, the full Spirit resting on and abiding in the person
of Immanuel has ever attracted the notice of those who saw
them; John saw the seven spirits in Christ's hand,2 and at
another time he saw the Lamb " with seven eyes, which
are the seven Spirits of God sent forth to all the earth."3
And since that day, it has been usual to speak of the Holy
Spirit in his relation to the Church as u the seven spirits ;"
because he is poured forth from Jesus in fulness, of which
a sevenfold measure was the symbol.

Our ascended High Priest had no sooner got the oil thus
poured on his h*»ad, than it ran off even to the skirts of his
garments — as typified in Aaron. Can you number the drops
of dew ? or the copious rain ? or the drops of the sea ? as
little can any tell the dew, the rain, the living water, that
has come down from him. He began at Pentecost to re-
fresh his heritage ; ever since, he has from time to time re-
peated such showers; and he meditates a shower more abun-
dant still, when he will empty out the blessing promised by
Joel,4 the first drops of which fell in the days of Peter, and
the rest of which is to be sent in "the times of refreshing." 5
The day of Pentecost taught that the gift of the Spirit is
entirely in the hands of the Redeemer. None can be holy
before coming to Christ; none can get the Spirit except out
of his hands. It taught the world, the Spirit's desire to save
sinners of every kindred and people. This was his object in

1 Psalm lxviii. 18. 9 Rev. iii. 1. » Rev. v. 6.

4 Joel ii. 23. « Acta iii. 19.

8 No. 13 — The Works of the Holy Spirit.

bestowing- the gift of tongues, and in doing it when men were
present from every nation under heaven. The day of Pen-
tecost teaches us, why there are few conversions amongst us.
It is the fault both of ministers and people — there is little of
the Holy Ghost amongst us. There is little of such preaching
as that described by Peter, when he speaks of men, who had
preached the Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from
heaven1 — and there is little of such prayer as Jude re-
commends, " praying in the Holy Ghost." But the day
of Pentecost has taught us to pray, and expect reviving
showers. Reader, if Christ has the Spirit in his hand,2
will you not look often up to him, and cry " open thine
hand, and satisfy the wants of living- souls !"

It was after this, that a regular ministry began. There
never had been such before. The Spirit used in former
times to raise up instruments on particular occasions; but
now he was more fully given, and in his great love institut-
ed a standing ministry. This is recorded as his work on
Christ's ascension;3 and ministers are called, " ministers of
the Spirit;"4 and their office, " the ministration of the Spi-
rit;" and for their encouragement they are told that " the
seven stars" are held in the same hand that holds the seven
spirits. How full of gratitude ought you to be, reader, if
you ever have been blessed in the house of God. All the
profit, or joy, you ever found under the ministry of any one,
is a result of the Spirit's work when he established this
order of men. If ever you got light, or had conviction of
sin, or were made joyful under the preaching of the word, it
is all to the glory of the Spirit's love. Well may minis-
ters themselves stand and adore. Their office is but the
channel through which the living waters flow 1

VIII. His great gift, the Holy Scriptures.

There are some particular instances of his power which
we have omitted, such as that day when 5000 souls were
saved;5 and that other when he first shewed such patient
kindness in leading the Ethiopian to the truth, and then
such mighty energy in having caught away Philip.6

But now it was that he completed a revelation of the
will of God to man. Long ere now he began to do this;
but he never finished his work until the clear, foil,
completed work of Jesus was recorded. It was He who
wrote the Old Testament, using the prophets as his
instruments,7 and so entirely guiding and inspiring the
record that every thing and every word therein, small
and great, has his authority.8 From the day when the book of
Genesis was written, he was continually selecting events to

1 1 Peter i. 12. * Rev. iii. 1. 3 Eph. iv. 11. 4 2 Cor. iii. 6.
*Actsiv. 4. « Acts riii. 39. » 2 Peter i. 21. 8 2 Tim. iii. 10.

No. 13.— The Works of the Holy Spirit. 9

be recorded, and matter for the use of the church. But
he left the volume unfinished until all Christ's work was
finished, and then he used apostles to write his will for com-
ing- ages; the whole word of God is now our perfect manual
for all knowledge relative to the kingdom of God. And he
has thus given us a full river along whose banks we may-
walk.1 Reader, remember he uses this word as his instru-
ment for conversion and sanctification. Let John xvii. 17.
never be a day out of your memory ; " sanctify them by thy
truth; thy word is truth? Formerly, he converted and
sanctified souls, by leading them to see Christ in the types
of the temple ; but now you are " to grow in grace" by
growing " in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus."3

IX. His daily work in the saints below.

Here we shall merely point out the leading operations of
the Spirit on the believer. He dwells in him and shall never
leave him.3 Sometimes he is made to retire, by a believer's
backsliding, into the deepest recess, and is scarcely seen;
yet he never leaves a dwelling he has once come to possess.
In the case of Samson, you see him in the solitary dungeon
of Gaza, coming forth from his retirement and raising in
that man's heart the cry, " O Lord God, remember me"*
In David's case, though retired far within for a year's space,
at length he put forth his power, and the prayer wa9 heard,
" Take not thy Holy Spirit from me !"3

Thus dwelling in his saints he calls them his temple?
even their bodies are reckoned his temple; and he says of
their souls, " I will dwell in them and will walk in them."7
He it is that makes the walls of this temple strong,8 and
then fills it with Himself.9 He cleanses it, as Christ
cleansed the temple from buyers and sellers ; " ye mortify
the deeds of the body through the Spirit."10 Upon the
walls of this temple he pictures the glories of heaven, and
causes clear manifestations of truth to shine — as in old
times, palms, and flowers, and cherubims adorned the tem-
ple-walls to regale the sight of the worshipper. He is
the " seven lamps" mentioned in Rev. iv. 5., shewing the
heaven of heavens just as the seven-branched candlestick gave
light and shewed the priest his way into the holy place, and
let him see what was there. Above all he keeps the Altar
conspicuous in their view, " glorifying" Christ,11 — and giv-
ing " wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him."12
Everything here is regulated according to the law of the
Holy God; every one in this temple exhibits, "meekness,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, patience, tem-

» Psalm i. 2. » 2 Peter, iii. 18. • John xiv. 16. 4 Judges xvi. 28.

• Psalm li. 11. UCor. vi. 19. ' 2 Cor. vi. 16. • Eph. iii. 16.

• Eph. v. 18. w Romans viii. 13. " John xvi. 14. 12 Colos. i. 9.

10 No. 13.— The Works of the Holy Spirit.

perance."1 And as an "earnest of the inheritance," Ephes.
i. 14. first-fruits are brought into this temple, and they are
such as these, "Love, joy, peace."2 And joy expresses it-
self in songs, "in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs,"3
— such as were heard at Pentecost when they eat their meat
with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God," and
such as the prophet Isaiah foretold Christ was to give, when
the anointing Spirit sent him to put on " the garment of
praise."4 If enemies assail or storms beat upon the walls,
then especially are these songs heard, and joy felt ; they
endure all " in the comfort of the Holy Ghost," and are
"filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost."5 yet many
many are the cries and groans6 that are heard from this tem-
ple; but they are groanings after more holiness. Some-
times, it is a cry for deliverance from the body of sin ;7
sometimes a cry for wisdom and understanding in the know-
ledge of Christ ;8 sometimes for faith9 or love or persever-
ance in retaining the truth to the end.10 Incense is kept
continually burning on the golden Altar in his temple, and
the Spirit is he who keeps it burning, " the Spirit himself,
raiseth the intercession within us." Christ's voice is heard
in this temple through the Spirit. " He that hath an ear
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
Reader, remember this each Sabbath morning as you go up
to the house of God. Has he come to make you such a
temple ? Are his groans and cries ever heard within you?

X. His work on the saints at death, and onward to the
second coming of Christ.

The interests of Christ and the Holy Spirit are all one.
The saints are therefore alike precious to him as to the
Redeemer. As soon as the hour of a believer's departure
from the body arrives, he makes him perfect in holiness.
Then the saint commits his soul to his Redeemer, and
dies \ Immediately Father, Son, and Spirit express one
feeling of delight. The Son presents the believer arrayed
in righteousness to the Father; the Father seals his well-
pleasedness, saying, " Blessed are the dead that die in the
Lord," that is, in Jesus; and the Holy Spirit catches up
the word, " From henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, for
they rest from their labours, and their works do follow
them."11 He rejoices to make perfect their holiness ; and
yet they go before the throne, without their works, in order
that their justification may be seen to depend wholly on
Christ. Yet at the same time he promises to be a witness

1 Gal. v. 22. a Gal. v. 22. 3 Colos. iii. 16.

' Isaiah lxi. 3. 6 Acts ix. 31. and xiii. 52. 6 Rom. viii. 26.

7 Rom. viii. 23. 8 Isa. xi. 2. Eph. i. 17. 9 2 Cor. iv. 13

«°2 Tim. i. 7. 14. » Rev. xiv. 13.

No. 13.— The Works of the Holy Spirit. U

of their labours, their holy thoughts, words, sufferings, at
the great day of recompense.

Forthwith, therefore, he begins to breathe into them
stronger desires than they ever had before for the coming
of Christ. For the comfort of friends left behind, he
tells us some of the thoughts of departed saints. And
this is the chief, viz. intense delight in Jesus still, and
the wish to see him more glorified in their own sight, and
in sight of all the world. Christ's Bride, that is, his Church
above, is stirred up by the Spirit to invite Christ to come
speedily. " The Spirit and the Bride say, Come j"1 these
holy souls that form the redeemed church above, are
not complete till they get their resurrection-bodies ; nor
will they be fully satisfied till they get w the grace that is to
be brought unto them at the revelation of Jesus Christ."2
The Spirit, therefore, in his love to them and desire for their
full enjoyment, helps them to urge on the day of the Re-
deemer's second coming. He had done this while on earth ;
" we who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we oui-
selves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to
wit, the redemption of our bodies."3 And now since they
have reached heaven, he enlarges their capacities and stirs
up the same cry more and more.

Reader, this is the last view given us of the Spirit in
the word of God. And it shows the position in which
every saint should be standing. It shows us that the
church above is ever crying to Jesus, " Come, Lord," and
that the church below should do the same. " Let him
that heareth say, come !" But there is a word for the
sinner too. The church below, " he that heareth," has
another duty besides seeking their own bliss and perfection
by inviting Jesus to come quickly. They must also stand,
and looking on the unconverted world, must cry, "He that is
athirst let him come/' We are to stand, with our eye up-
ward on Jesus, with our hand stretched out to you,
bidding you come quickly to that Saviour whom we are
entreating to come quickly to us. The Spirit who knows
your secret thoughts, and is ready to bear witness against
you at the great day; — he, he it is who stirs us up to
cry to you most earnestly now, " O sinner, come and take
the water of life freely." He places you within sight of
the judgment-seat, and then cries, "Come, and take." He
shews you the fountain full to the very brim, and thereby
would provoke your thirst, while he cries, " Come and take
the water of life." He takes away the possibility of your
saying that he does not address you, for he cries, " Whoso-
ever is athirst;" and you are surely thirsty for joy and rest.

1 Rev. xxii. 17. * Peter i. 13. » Remans viii. 23.

12 No. 13.— The Works of the Holy Spirit

He would make it impossible for you to invent any ex-
cuse even for hesitation, and therefore he cries, "Whoso-
ever will" And lest any shadow of excuse should remain,
he makes the word " Freely, freely," be the word that dies
upon your ear. He takes up the testimony of the Old
Testament prophets,1 and unites it to that of the Saviour
uttered on earth,2 and from heaven,3 and thus he entreats
you, to take and live for ever, as if he were holding the
living water in one of the golden urns of his heavenly tem-
ple to your very lips; he cries, " Whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely." O reader, were you ever near-
er bliss than now ?

Meanwhile the church continues longing for the day
of their Master's glory. The Spirit joins his cry to
theirs, his voice to theirs, asking Jesus to "come quickly."
For on that day when Christ is fully glorified with his own
and his Father's glory, then shall his people receive of the
Spirit in ample measures. The Spirit shall flow forth in
immeasurable streams on every saint, " and the earth shall
be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.''* What
understandings of God shall we have then. What attainments
in holiness ! How deep our love ! How loud our praise !
while in fellowship with all saints, we comprehend what
is the height and depth, and length and breadth, and know
the love of Christ that passes knowledge, and are filled with
all the fulness of God ! O then, let him that heareth join
the Spirit and the bride crying, "Come, Lord Jesus."

And now, reader, we leave you, gathering up all we have
said into a prayer, which, after what you have read will not
seem unmeaning or unimportant. It is that which your
minister breathes over you every Sabbath as you leave the
house of God — " The communion of the Holy Ghost be
with you. Amen."5

1 Isaiah Iv 1. 2 John vii. 37.^ 3 Rev. ii. 6.

* Habakkuk ii. 14. s 2 Cor. xiii. 14.

Kelso : Published by J. Rutherfurd,. John Johnstone, "W.
Whyte, & Co., and Chas. Zeigler, Edinburgh. Jame»
Nisbet, & Co., London. — Price 4s. 6d. per 100.

No. 16.

THE LORD'S SUPPER.

" The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the
Jood of Clirist? the bread ivhich we break, is it not the communion of the
hody of Christ?"— I Cor. x. 16.

u Take, e«.t; this is my body. . . . Drink ye all of it" — Matt.
xxvi. 26, 27.

" The king hath brought me into his chamber; we will be glad and
rejoice in thee; we will remember thy love more than wine." — Song of
Solomon, i. 4.

" Let a man examine himself. . . . If we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged,"— I Cor. xi. 28, 31.

The Lord's table is spread for the Lord's people, and for
them alone. No one ought to go to that table who is not
a real follower of the Lamb. It is a feast for the disciples,
and for them alone. It is bread for the children ; it is pas-
ture for the flock of Christ. All who go to that table in an
unconverted state, are guilty of the body and blood of the
Lord.1 We must first come to Christ before we can come
to his feast. For He has prepared his feast for his saints
alone, — for those whom he calls his sister, his spouse, his
bride, his love, his dove, his undejiled.* These are wel-
come ; all others are forbidden.

I. The Lord's supper is a memorial of Christ.5 It is a
memorial of the Man of Sorrows. It is a memorial of Him
who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our
iniquities, upon whom the chastisement of our peace was
laid, and by whose stripes we are healed. It is a memorial
of the crucified One. It is a monument of bleeding, dying
love. It proclaims the Lamb that was slain. It sets be-
fore us his bruised broken body, — his shed and sprink-
led blood, — his face marred more than any man, and his
form more than the sons of men. Its simple common
elements speak of Him who was meek and lowly, as well
1 1 Cor. xi. 27, 29. * Song v. 2. ■ Luke xxii. 19.

J. rutherfttrd's series of tracts*

2 No. 16.— The Lord's Supper.

as of Him who poured out his soul unto death. In all its
parts it speaks of Jesus, — of Jesus alone, — of none but
Jesus, — Immanuel, God with us, — Messiah the anointed
One, — the Beloved of the Father's soul ! It reminds us of
his incarnation,-— his life, — his humiliation,— his agony, —
his cross, — his death, — his grave. It takes us back to the
upper chamber in Jerusalem, — to the passover table, — to
Kedron,— to Gethsemane, — to Gabbatha, — to Pilate's hall,
—to Calvary, — to Joseph's tomb. It brings to mind the
gracious words of Him who spake as never man spake, and
into whose lips grace divine was poured.1 It says to
us, Behold your king, — behold the man, — behold the Lamb
of God, — behold my servant the Branch ! It brings to
mind the mighty deeds of him who did all things well. It
tells us of the grace of Him who, though he was rich, yet
for our sakes became poor. It calls especially to mind the
decease which he accomplished at Jerusalem, — the glorious
work whereby he finished transgression, made an end of
sin, brought in everlasting righteousness, and made recon-
ciliation for iniquity.2 The voice that proclaimed from the
cross " It is finished," still proclaims the same from the
communion table by the bread and wine. These symbols
tell us that the way to God is open now, and the access
free, — that the blood has been shed, — the sacrifice offered
up and accepted, — the veil rent, — and liberty secured, even
for the guiltiest to draw near with perfect confidence to
God. They preach the gospel, the glad tidings of great
joy which are to us and to all people. All that Jesus did
for us is represented in them. All the blessings of the new
covenant are set forth to us. That table tells us of a full
Saviour and a full salvation ; a full Redeemer and a full re-
demption. A full Saviour, a free gospel, and a finished
righteousness, are set before our eyes. There, truly, Jesus
is " all in all." No name is heard but that of Jesus. The
symbols speak of Jesus. The service breathes of Jesus.
The praise is all of Jesus. The words are all of Jesus.
And it seems as if the still voice of Jesus himself were
heard in the silence of that solemn scene. Truly the Lord's
6upper is the memorial of Jesus.

II. The Lord's supper is a seal of the blessings of
Christ. It seals these to us. It puts them into our hands,

* Luke iv. 22. Jo. vii. 46, Ps. adv. % ■ Dan. ix. 24.

No. 16.— The Lord's Supper. 3

and says to each of us, all these are thine. In it Christ says
to the soul, I am thine, — all my blessings are thine, all that
I have is thine. He takes the bread and wine; he gives
them to us, saying, Here is my royal seal; — take it, handle it,
taste it, and doubt no more. Blessed pledges! Can I ever doubt
again! I am ray beloved's and my beloved is mine. The
supper is, (1.) A seal of pardon. (2.) A seal of adoption.
(3.) Of eternal life. (4.) Of union with Christ and with the
saints who are his body. (5.) Of his love to us ; and our
receiving the symbol is a seal of our love to him. (6.) Of
the kingdom to come:1 hence he speaks of the cup being
the Testament. (7.) Of all the promises. These are all
yea and amen in Christ Jesus ; but here they are specially
and personally confirmed to us. This ordinance is the
broad seal of heaven affixed to all that God has said; giving
us a direct pledge and assurance that all that is in Christ is
ours. It not only signifies but " seals to us all the benefits
of the covenant of grace." It says in our ears and to our
hearts, " the mountains shall depart, and the hills be re-
moved, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither
shall the covenant of my peace be removed." Believing souls,
let this be your prayer, " set me as a seal upon thy heart, as
a seal upon thine arm?"2

III. The Lord's supper applies and conveys the bless-
ings of Christ. It is more than a sign ; it is more than a
seal ; it is a real communication of spiritual blessings to
believing souls. By it " we are made partakers of Christ's
body and blood, with all their benefits, to our spiritual nour-
ishment and growth in grace." Christ's body and blood
are the two sources of blessing. His body, broken for us,
is the storehouse in which all manner of food for the soul is
treasured up. His blood, shed for us, is the fountain
whence living waters flow to us, and out of which comes
the " clean water" which is sprinkled upon us to wash away
our sins. Both of these are at all times open and free. In
believing we at all times are nourished, refreshed, and
cleansed. But in the Lord's supper we receive fuller
measures of blessing. The symbols of bread and wine are
the channels through which God conveys to us the new
covenant blessings. He makes use of them for pouring
into believing souls all the blessings which flow from the

• Matt. xxvi. 29. Luke xxii. 16, 18. 2 Song viii. 6.

4 No. I j. — The Lord's Supper.

broken body and shed blood of the Lord. " In the supper,
rightly used, Christ Jesus is so joined to us that he becora-
eth very nourishment and food to our souls."1 The elements
are to us what the hem of his garment was to the woman
who had the issue of blood. When we partake of them
believingly, virtue comes out of them, to feed, to strengthen,
to heal, to cleanse, to refresh, to nourish the soul unto life
eternal. All that is in Christ, faith draws out of these
symbols, and thus they become "a feast of fat things"
to the soul. Out of them we draw new and more
vigorous life, — spiritual, heavenly, everlasting life. At this
lable we especially find Christ to be the bread of life, and
we feed upon him as such. At this table all our graces are
nourished and strengthened. The fruits of the Spirit are
ripened in us. We " grow in grace," and are brought into
nearer resemblance of our Lord himself. Sin is mortified;
the flesh is crucified with its affections and lusts. The old
man receives a deadly blow. The union between Christ
and the soul is strengthened ; and in all their parts the
members of the body are drawn closer to their living head.
The union between the saints is here cemented and con-
firmed. Here the bonds of love are gently yet firmly
twined about believing souls, and we learn to love one
another with a pure heart fervently, as one holy family, one
blessed brotherhood. It is here we partake together of the
" hidden manna," and the tree of life which is in the
midst of the paradise of God. It is here we are fed with
the finest of the wheat. It is here we drink the new wine
of the kingdom, and are anointed with fresh oil. We feast
with Jesus in the upper room. We lean upon his bosom
like the beloved disciple. We sing with him the hymn he
sang ere he crossed the Kedron. We go with him to
Gethsemane, and with him we kneel, and agonize, and
pray. We stand in Pilate's hall, and hear the voice which
says, "behold the man I" We take our place by the foot of
the cross, and are sprinkled with the drops of the crimson
shower. We are brought close to his very side, and from
his precious wounds we drink in salvation, receiving into
our souls the healing virtue that flows from his hands, his
feet, his side.

Thus we see that the Lord's supper is intended to be to
1 Old Scotch Confession of Faith.

No. 16.— The Lord's Supper. 5

nfi a full storehouse, — an overflowing fountain of spiritual
blessings. It is designed to furnish us with an abundant
supply for our manifold wants. Let us mention in order a
few particulars concerning these:

1. It strengthens our faith. For it holds up the glorious
gospel of the blessed God to us in the most striking and
impressive of all ways, namely, by outward signs. And
also, it puts the seal and pledge of all blessings into our
hands and lips.

2. It makes plain the truth to our minds. For by em-
bodying invisible truth in visible signs, it renders it far
more clear and easy to be understood. It illustrates the
whole truth concerning Christ. It shews how free, how
rich, how sufficient, how suitable is his salvation; — yet,
like the common food of life, both absolutely necessary, and
within the reach of all.

3. It nourishes the soul. Here we find how true are Christ's
words, " My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink
indeed," (John vi. 55.) Here we eat angels' food; we feed
upon the bread of heaven. How can we be but nourished ?

4. It pours new life into the soul. Here we not merely
have life, but we have It more abundantly. Life pours into
us from the fountain of life. We mount up with wings as
eagles, we run and are not weary, we walk and are not faint.

5. It ripens our graces. We here bask in the rays of
the sun of righteousness. The fruits of the Spirit ripen
apace; — love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, good-
ness, faith, meekness, temperance. Gal. r. 22.

6. It kills sin. Here we are taught to "reckon our-
selves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through
our Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. vi. 11. We feel as if nailed to
the same cross,— buried in the same grave, rising, ascend-
ing, sitting with him at the right hand of God.

7. It kindles our love. It is truly a feast of love. It
speaks wholly of love. The time when it was instituted ; —
the facts which it commemorates, the feeling which dictated
the institution — every thing in it, breathes of love. It tells
us of the love of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, — love as
real as the symbols which we touch and eat, — love as per-
sonal to us as these. How fitted to kindle love, — to warm
the coldest bosom, — to soften the hardest heart, — to thaw
the most frozen soul I How can we but love when seated

6 No. 16. — The Lord's Supper.

at the feast of love, — receiving tbe emblems of love, — lis-
tening- to the words and tones of love.

8. It unites us to one another, and separates us from tho
world. It is at once an ordinance of union and separa-
tion,— union with Jesus and his people, separation from an
ungodly world. It is the badge of discipleship. It marks
us out from the world. It is a banner of defiance raised
against the world. Like Noah the preacher of righteous-
ness, "we condemn the world." We confess that we are
strangers and pilgrims on the earth ; without a rest or a
home on earth, but looking for a rest and a home beyond it,
when pilgrim days are over, and the perils of the wilderness
are exchanged for the plenty of our Father's peaceful home;
without a city here, but waiting for the new Jerusalem, that
cometh down out of heaven from God ; without honour
or authority here, but expecting to reign with Christ for
ever.

9. It gives new ardour to our hopes. It looks back to
the first, and forward to the second coming of the Lord. It
points to future glory. It carries us forward to the inheri-
tance,— the kingdom, — the crown, — the restitution of all
things,— the rest that remaineth for the people of God, —
the bridal-day, — the marriage-supper of the Lamb. We sit
here as at our eastern window to watch the first rays of
coming day ; — to see star after star fading from the heavens
as the dawn approaches, and the sun prepares to rise, — "the
sun of a morning without clouds," bringing in the splendour
of the everlasting day. We seem to hear the voice which
sounded over the lonely rocks of Patmos in the ears of John;
" He that testifieth these things saith, surely, I come
quickly." And with him we eagerly echo back the joyful
words, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

But who are to come to this table, and who are not to
come f It concerns us much to settle this. It was to his
disciples that Jesus gave this bread and wine, and therefore
none but disciples are to come. It is to remember Jesus
that we come, and therefore we must first know Jesus ; for
unless we know him we cannot remember him. It is to
have our souls nourished that we come, therefore they must
first have been made alive, that is, we must be bom again.
We come to get the seal of forgiveness and adoption; there-
fore we must have been forgiven and adopted before we can

No. 16. — The Lord's Supper. 7

come. We come to declare our love to Jesus ; therefore
we roust first have learned to love him. The feast is
for the followers of the Lamb, not for the followers of
the world. It is for saints, not for the unholy and uncon-
verted. It is not for the profane, or the prayerless, or the
formalist, or the self-righteous. It is not for the drunkard,
or the unclean, or the swearer, or the Sabbath-breaker, or
the Sabbath-walker, or the Sabbath-visitor, or those who
only attend the house of God once a-day, or who buy and
sell on the Sabbath. It is not for the lovers of gaiety and
pleasure, — for the frequenters of the ball-room, or the the-
atre, or the card-table, or the race-course. All such, if they
come, " eat and drink damnation to themselves." What
have men to do at the table of the Lord who never shed one
tear for sin, — who never had an anxious hour about their
souls — who never sought God, nor prized the Saviour?
what fellowship hath Christ with Belial ? Ye cannot drink
the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils, ye cannot be
a partaker of the Lord's table, and the table of devils. Let
unconverted souls stay away ; or rather let them come im-
mediately to Christ, and then without delay come also to
his table. Come to Jesus, and then come to the feast,—
none more welcome than you.

How are we to come ? Let a man examine himself, and let
him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. If we judge
ourselves we should not be judged.1 Let us wash our hands
in innocency (in the blood of the innocent one, the spotless
Lamb of God), and so let us compass the altar of the Lord.*
Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the
leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth.5 I counsel thee to buy of me
gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich ; and white
raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of
thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with
eye-salve that thou mayest see.4

A few questions on the Lord's Sup>per.

1. Q. By what names is the Lord's supper known?
An8. It is called the sacrament, because it is an holy ordi-
nance. It is called the Lord'* Supper, because instituted

1 1 Cor. xi. 28, 31. • Ps. xxvi. 6.

* 1 Cor. v. 8. * Rev. iii- 18.

S No. 16 — The Lord's Supper.

by, and in memory of, the Lord Jesus. It is called the
breaking of bready because of the bread there broken.
It is called the, communion, because therein we are made
partakers of Christ's body and blood, and have fellowship
with Him and with the saints. It is called the Eucharist,
because Christ gave thanks, and it is an ordinance of thanks-
giving-. It is called the feast, (1 Cor. 5, 8.) because Christ
our passover is sacrificed for us, and we feed upon him.

2. Q. What do the broken bread and the poured out wine
set forth to us ? Ans. They are memorials of Christ
bruised, bleeding, dying for us; and do also set forth his
body and blood as the whole food of our souls.

3. Q. Are they mere signs ? Ans. No, truly ; they also
" seal and apply" to us all the blessings of Christ. They
are God's appointed channels for conveying these to be-
lieving souls.

4. Q. Is it not enough that we look at the symbols f
Ans. No, truly ; we must eat and drink of them ; thereby
signifying our partaking of Christ spiritually by faith, — our
receiving him into our souls just as we receive the bread
and wine into our bodies. Eating and drinking in faith
draws out special blessings, just as the woman's touching
the hem of Christ's garment in faith drew out special bless-
ings to her.

5. Q. Who ought to go to this table ? Ans. Living
souls ; for dead souls cannot eat and drink. Hungry and
thirsty souls; for otherwise what would a feast be ? Loving
souls ; for without love, how can we compass the table of
love ? Believing souls ; for without faith we cannot feed
on Christ. Regenerate souls; for none but they have a
right to the children's bread. In short, Christ's disciples, —
Christ's people ; — those whom he calls saints, beloved ones,
his sheep, his members, his branches, his bride. — None else.

6. Q. To what does the Lord's Supper point forward ?
Ans. To the second coming of the Lord, in glory and ma-
;esty, to set up his kingdom, and sit down with his people
at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

[8EEIES TO BE CONTINUED.]

Kelso : Published by J. Rutherfurd. Edinburgh : John
Johnstone, W. Whyte & Co., and Charles Zeigler. Lon-
don : James Nisbet & Co. Price 3s. per ICO.

No. 19.

THE CITY OF REFUGE.

'* Appoint for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the
hand of Moses ; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of
blood" — Joshua xx. 2, 3.

" We have a strong city ; salvation will God appoint for walls and
bulwarks.'1 — Isaiah xxvi. 1.

" God is a refuge for us." — Psalms lxii. 8.

" Escape for thy life; look not behind thee; neither stay thou in all
the plain .... haste thee, escape thither " — Gen. xix. 17-22.

There were six cities of refuge in the land of Israel.
These were so situated that any manslayer, when pursued,
might find his flight directed and his escape assisted by the
very ground where they stood. (1.) Three of them stood on'
one side of Jordan and three on the other. No river rolled
between him and his place of safety. (2.) All of them stood
in plains ; Kedesh in the plains of Zaanaim, Sychem in the
plains of Moreh, Hebron in a level wilderness, Golan and
Ramoth-Gilead at the foot of their adjoining hills. The
manslayer had no uphill race to run in seeking deliverance;
there was nothing in his way which might hinder his flight.
(3.) Near each city (except Bezer, which required no
further mark, being seen afar on the long spacious heath)
stood a hill, that served the purpose of an ensign to guide
the guilty man, and to invite him to the refuge. Kedesh
had the hill of Naphtali close by. Sychem had mount
Gerizzim- Hebron had its vine-terraced heights, on which
Abraham once stood and saw the smoke of Sodom. Golan
had the heights of Bashan; and Ramoth-Gilead stood un-
der the lofty hills of Gilead. He who appointed these
cities took care that they should be marked afar off, that
the steps of one seeking refuge might without difficulty be
guided towards them. For it was intended by all these pecu-
liarities, jto show the sinner's road to the Redeemer. No river
rolls between him and Christ I No hills raise their barrier
between him and the Saviour! The way is plain and open;
it is broad and level; and while yet afar off his eye catches
a glimpse of that ensign which waves on Calvary, over the
the city of refuge, — " As I live, saith the Lord, I have no

J. rutherfubd's series of tracts.

2 No. 19.— The City of Refvge.

pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked
turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your
evil ways, for why will you die."1 This even while he is
yet a great way off, kindles hope and keeps it alive.

One of these cities of refuge was Hebron, — well known
as being the place where Abraham once sojourned. Let
us linger for a little at this city, and call to mind some of
those sights often seen in other days from its walls and
within its gates. The inhabitants there dwelt safely as in
a " peaceable habitation, in a sure dwelling, and in a quiet;
resting-place." The vines clothed the surrounding hills,
and rich fields waved over the plains of Mamre.

Not far off was the spot, where, under a spreading oak,
Abraham " the friend of God"* had held communion with
his Redeemer. Oftentimes in the cool of the day, when the
breeze of evening had begun to awake, the people might
be seen on the flat roofs of their houses, or the top of their
city walls, enjoying the scene and remembering former days.
Many a song of praise ascended, many a holy meditation
was enjoyed, many a thankful emotion kindled. But oc-
casionally this happy hour was suddenly disturbed by a
piercing cry of alarm that resounded from the valley, — a
cry of fear, and a cry of rage and wrath. They stopped their
song and saw a trembling murderer with horror on his brow,
in full speed making for the gate, and behind him with
bare sword, the avenger of blood passing on with relentless
fury. Sometimes, on such occasions, if for a moment the
pursuer seemed to slacken his speed, they saw the weary
manslayer incautiously sit down to rest, thinking that he was
now so near his refuge, that he might abate his anxiety; and
then the avenger would seize the favourable opportunity,
dart on, and plunge the sword into his soul. Oh ! the
agonizing look the wretched man gave in death toward the
city! and his awful cry of despair, as he yielded up his
breath with guilt in his conscience, and remorse gnawing
his soul I Sometimes too they saw one in his flight come close
up to the gate ; but he hesitated to enter, stood doubting,
afraid .to go in and trembling for the approach of the avenger,
until, ere ever he was aware, the avenger smote him to the
dust, and he breathed his last with his dying head bent
down on the very threshold of the gate I But oftener still
they saw the pursued, flying murderer come with full speed

' Ezek. xxxiii. 11. * Gen. xxxv. 27.

No. 19.-27^ City of Refuge. 3

down the valley, reach the open gate, bound over the
threshold, and stand in safety within ! The elders of the city
met him, and asked him how he had ventured thus boldly
in. " You are stained with blood, and your trembling
frame testifies that you are a guilty man?" " Yes, I own
it is true, but on that very account I fled for refuge.**
* But why have you come -hither? no native of the city is
like you ; they are all children of Abraham."* " True, but
though no native be like me, yet many like me have got
in, for God himself has called it a city of refuge." " But
you bring no recommendation ?" " God never spoke of
any recommendation being needed." " Still, you have given
no reason whyyou in particular should expect to be received?"
" Yes, for the warrant is, that any aiad every man-slayer may
come." The elders smiled well-pleased ; the man-slayer was
secured in the place of refuge ; and there was praise in all
the city because another was saved. The delivered man
soon joined in their hymns to the God of his life; but oftener
still sang in their hearing some peculiar songs of praise, which
none could sing but a man-slayer that had fled for refuge.
(Rev. xiv. 3.) Frequently, too, the whole company of deli-
vered men would meet together, talk over their dangers,
tell of their escape, and unite their voice and heart in
these songs of deliverance.

These events that happened in Israel were intended as a
type of what takes place in the kingdom of God on earth.
The man-slayer j wet with the blood of his fellow, is the type
of a sinner. And in choosing no other than a man-slayer
to be the type of a sinner, God points out the murderous
nature of sin. Sin brings death on the man himself, and
thrusts the sting of the second death into his soul. The
sinning soul crucifies Christ afresh ; it quen-ches, or, in
other words, tries to extinguish the life of the Holy Spirit;
it wishes that there were no God, or, in other words, aims at
the very being of God the Father. O sinner, how deep is the
crimson-dye of your soul ! How can you escape the damna-
tion of hell ? On the other hand, the avenger of blood re-
presents the stern but most righteous demands for ven-
geance, made by the holy law, pursuing the unforgiven sin-
ner, in order to execute the sentence, " thou shalt surely
die," (Gen. ii. 17.) And the city of refuge is the salva-
tion provided for the sinner in Christ Jesus, bestowed with-
out money, and without price, without preparation and
without delay on every soul of man that flees to him as the
refuge from the wrath to come.

4 No. 19.— 77** City of Refuge,

From the walls and battlements of heaven, angels have
seen many such sights as the men of Hebron used to see.
Let us lead you to some of them.

1. They have seen many a man-slayer. They have seen
many a soul — and you among the rest, stained with crim-
son guilt, yet sitting at ease. Have they not seen you de-
stroy your soul ? Then you are a manslayer. Have they
not seen you by your words and influence prevent others
from being saved ? Have they not seen you wishing in
your heart that God were away, or that there was no God ?
And is this not really wishing for and attempting to com-
pass the death of God ! You have wished there were no
Christ, and no Holy Spirit I O blood-stained, murderous
soul, you stand charged with murder, accomplished in re-
gard to yourself, and your neighbours, and with designs
against the life of the Holy God I Perhaps the devil
keeps you at rest, and persuades you not to be alarmed.
Eat, drink, and be merry ! But, nevertheless, you are a
man-slayer. You ruin your own soul, and your example
?uins your friends ; and you are an enemy that entertains
murderous designs against God. The avenger has not
forgotten you.

2. They have seen many a man-slayer awakened. Few
sinners in our parishes remain unvisited by some convic-
tions ; yet few of them flee from the wrath to come. Some
are left miserable by a sense of guilt, that hangs over them;
like a black cloud, night and day, — " all their life-time sub-
ject to bondage," (Heb. ii. 15.) They have many fore-
bodings, yet companions, and pleasures, and their dislike
of a change, and the secret hope that perhaps all is not
true that is threatened, stifle their feelings, and hinder
them from fleeing. Is this your state ? Are you a sin-
ner aware of your danger ? If so, surely you must flee ?
You dare not sit still. What though you repent, and are
sorry, and shed tears, and reproach yourself for your folly
— all that is vain. The avenger of blood never ceases for
that. Indeed, you are more likely to be cut off suddenly
than many others ; for your convictions will make Satan
afraid of losing you, and your delaying to flee will pro-
voke God, so that he will wait no more. Up, up and
flee for your life I You dare not sit still. O if you would
flee, there would be deep, deep interest in you, felt by the
people on the walls of Hebron — the angels in heaven. To
see you running to the city of refuge — O that would be a
blessed sight ! Up and run speedily I Many have run

No. 19— The City of Refuge. 5

along that road to the city ; the way to Christ has been
traversed by thousands, some more, and some less guilty
than you, who knew that he was their only refuge. " The
kingdom of heaven is preached, and every man presseth into
it."

3. They have seen many fleeing towards the city. This
is more than being awakened to a sense of danger and need.
They have begun to seek deliverance ; they flee ! Are you
a fleeing sinner ? If you are, there are some marks that
you will not fail to have. For example, you will be affect-
ed by a sense of your own personal guilt and danger ; you
will not be fleeing just because others are doing it. You
will have a feeling of immediate need; you cannot put
off the matter to a distant day. You will also feel engross-
ed to a great degree with concern to escape; a fleeing man-
Blayer would not be hindered with the trifles on the road,
or the people whom he met. You will forsake the com-
pany of friends that hinder you. Above all, your eye will be
ever looking toward the mountain-height that marks the
place of refuge, and along the plain that leads to it ; your
thoughts will be occupied with the open door ; and your de-
light will be to hear of them who fled and got in safely.
You will be ever looking for Jesus, and rejoicing in what-
ever leads to a view of him, whether a sermon, or the Bible,
or prayer. You will be meditating on his completed work,
which opens the fountain for sin and uncleanness. You
will delight to read and hear of such as Paul, and Man-
asseh, and those Jerusalem-sinners who, in every view,
were more than manslayers, for they crucified the " Son of
Man," " the fellow of the Almighty." But remember there
can be no safety for you short of the city; none, none, till
you are within it. It is not being " almost persuaded to be
a Christian ;" it is not being " not far from the kingdom of
God," that will save your soul. It is not setting out and
running toward the city, nor getting within sight of it, nor
arriving close at the gate, nor even touching the threshold,
but it is getting over the threshold and getting in, that will
be your safety. If the man-slayer stopped short of this, he
might as well have never tried to flee. No sinner can be
pardoned until a sufficient testimony is left against his sin,
and this can be done only by his coming to Christ Jesus.
No man-slayer could be forgiven until he got to the city,
the very appointment of which was God's testimony to
the man's guilt and deserved punishment. No sinner caD

6 No. 19— The City of Refuge.

be forgiven in a righteous way, except by being hid in
Christ. Hopes, desries, wishes, convictions, fears, sorrows,
may be no more than shrubs that line the road to the
city

4. They have seen the joyful entrance of many into tne city
of refuge. Fearful, weary, faint, they came up to the open
gate, and ventured in, because it was set open for such as they.
They believed Christ to be the sinner's way to the Father.
They came to view his finished and perfect work in behalf of
sinners ; they examined it, and perceived both its fitness and
its fulness ; they saw that the Father considered it a wide
enough entrance for any sinner;. and so they ventured in.
Jehovah had declared it to be sufficient, and that was enough
for them. Let us trv them, and see their grounds of faith.
u You are stained with blood," it might be said to them ;
" you have been guilty of trampling under foot the Son of
God, and aiming many a blow at the life and heart of God ;
and your conscience tells you that you deserve vengeance ;
and nothing but filth appears on your person. How dare
you come thither ?" They reply, " For the very reason that
we are blood-stained sinners we fled to Jesus." Ask again,
" How could you ever hope to see the king in his beauty ;
his people are a holy people?" They reply, " True, but
blood-stained souls have become white in his bloody — his
precious blood shed for this very end." " But you bring
no recommendation ? you say nothing of your previous ef-
forts, prayers, tears, good deeds, sincere obedience ?" " No,
we say nothing of these, for they are not required to our
being accepted in the Beloved." " Well, then, at least, shew
why you in particular venture to come ?" " Our warrant ia
his own sure word, whosoever cometh, I will in no wise cast
out."

And now the gate closes them in. They shall go no
more out. Angels welcome them with songs, and Father,
Son, and Spirit, rest over them in love. There is joy in
heaven over them ! These that are thus redeemed are
nevertheless not perfect yet. Their iniquities are forgiven,
and every sin blotted out ; but their hearts retain much
corruption. They keep much in each other's company and
help each other's joy. They often sing such songs as that
of Romans viii. 31-4, " If God be for us, who can be
against us ? He that spared not his own Son, but deliver-
ed him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things ( Who shall lay any thing to the charge

No. 19.— The City of Refuge. 7

of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that
condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us!" O what peace and joy ! No
frown of a displeased God, for his anger is turned away, and
he comforts them ! With joy they draw water out of the
wells of salvation.

And as they survey and examine their city of refuge,
they find new reaions for joy and enduring gratitude. Now
that they are in Christ, they inquire freely as to the past;
and they find that all along, from the first hour they began
to flee, it was the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the
name of Christ, who was drawing them, John vi. 44. At the
time that they felt alarmed and yet lingered in their sins, it
was a secret drawing of the divine hand that enabled them at
length to get beyond others and really to flee for refuge. At
the time when they had nearly stopped short, attracted by
the golden apples which Satan scattered in their path, it was
the Spirit that drew them on. At that moment, when, fakit
and weary, they had well nigh sat down in despair, it was
the drawing of the Father through the Holy Spirit that
brought them onward still. And when at length they saw so
clearly where to rest, and felt themselves able to rest satisfied
in Christ alone, it was the Holy Spirit who caused the scales
to drop from their eyes, and who effectually persuaded thei
souls. O how full now is their gratitude to Father, Son,
and Spirit, — " Thou hast loved us with an everlasting love,
and with everlasting kindness hast thou drawn us!" They
are never heard to boast of any thing but of him; not even
of their own faith, their eager running to the city. No ;
for that too was owing to the Spirit he sent into them,
(Eph. ii. 8.) and it was not that, but the city, that saved
them.

They reach farther still in their discoveries of God's
wondrous ways towards them. They are taken into a cham-
ber in the council-house of the city of refuge, and allowed to
read its records. The Book of Life is shewn to them, and
they find now that they were elected from all eternity ! and
that it was in consequence of the purpose of God, that they
were called and drawn by the Spirit of Jesus. Amazing grace I
How deeply fixed is the foundation of their safety ! They
feel humbled at the same time ; for they were chosen for
no good in themselves at all, but wholly to the praise and
glory of Him who called them. Every new discovery yields

8 No. 19.— The City of Refuge,

matter for praise and adoration. They go down to the
gates to praise the Lord among the assembled people,
They forsake not the assembling of themselves together,
but go to their own company, (Acts iv. 23) whensover op-
portunity occurs. Their life is a life of happy, cheerful
faith in Him whose finished work redeemed them, and of
unceasing love and devotion to Him who called them out
of darkness into marvellous light. Often are they heard
singing, " We have a strong city ; salvation will God ap-
point for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gate, that the
righteous nation that keepeth the truth may enter in.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed
on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the
Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is the rock of
ages." (Isaiah xxvi. 1-4.)

But like the saved man-slayer who dared not be found
beyond the gate of the city until the High Priest had
gone to glory, (Number xxxv. 25) they dare not for an
hour go out of their place of safety. They abide in Christ.
However holy they become, whatever reputation they have
gained, however honoured and distinguished for spiritual at-
tainments, they abide in Christ alone. Their first security
was found in him, and it is their security to the last.
Though laden with the fruits of righteousness, and filled
with all the graces of the Spirit, they depend for safety on
the enclosing wall of their city of refuge, as much as does
the sinner that only yesterday came in. And so they
will remain till their High Priest enter upon " his glorious
rest" (Isaiah xi. 10.); and then they shall share with him
in that joy, each one receiving his inheritance and possessing
an unchanging love. For this they are always longing.
Oftentimes they ascend the battlements and towers of their
strong city to look out for any signs of thccoming glory ; or
sitting at their windows, they turn their eye to the east to
see if there be any streaks of the dawn. For when from
the New Jerusalem the tidings shall arrive that Jesus our
High Priest has entered into his rest, then shall his redeem-
ed return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their
heads, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
[series to be continued.]

Kelso: Published by J. Rutherfurd. Edinburgh: John
Johnstone, W. Whyte & Co., & Charles Ziegler. Lon-
don: James Nisbet & Co. Price Ss. per 109.

No. 2\

BEHOLD HE COMETH WITH CLOUDS.

* Behold the Lord cometh urith ten thousand of Bis saints." — Jdde 14.

* Behold I come as a thief I Blessed is he that waicheth and keepet
his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame — Rev. xvi. 15.

Mr Dear Reader, — Let me speak to you a few words
respecting this solemn subject — the second coming of the
Lord. In doing so, I shall confine myself, as much as pos-
sible, to the words of God himself, both because they are
the fittest and the plainest — " quick and powerful, sharper
than any two-edged sword ;" and because I do not wish you
to evade the matter, by saying that I am pressing upon you
the uncertain opinions of man. " He that hath an ear let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches/' Reader !
" that same Jesus who was taken up into heaven shall so
come in like manner as he went up into heaven"1 The
heavens must receive him until the times of restitution of
all things.2 Then shall he come in his own glory, and in
his Father's glory, and with all his mighty angels, to call
you to account for the deeds done in the body. Are you
ready for his coming? Can you abide his presence?
Will you be able to stand before the Judge of all ? He
once came in meekness ; he shall then come in majesty ; —
he once came in shame ; he shall then come in glory ; — he
once came in weakness ; he shall then come in power ; —
he once came to save ; he shall then come to judge — to
give to every man according as his work shall be.5

I. He comes to take vengeance upon them that know
not God, and that obey not his Gospel. 2 Thess. i. S. This
is the day of grace ; that shall be the day of vengeance ;
— this is the time of his mercy; that shall be the time of
his fierce anger. His long-suffering shall then be wearied
out, and his love shall have passed away. His eyes — those
very eyes that wept over Jerusalem, shall then be a flame
of fire, piercing you like lightning, and consuming you
with their terrible glance. His feet — those very feet that
rested in their weariness upon the well of Sychar, shall

* Acts i. 11. t Acts iii. 21. » Rev. xxii. 12.

J. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

No. 21. — Beliold He cometh with Clouds.

be " fine brass," to tread you down, as in the wine-press of
his wrath.1 " The day of the Lord cometh ; it is nigh at
hand: a day of darkness and gloominess', a day of clouds
and thick darkness.'"2 Are you prepared for that day of
terror and darkness ? Have you fled like the dove to the
clefts of the rock ?5 Have you found shelter in the man
who is the hiding-place from the wind, and the covert from
the tempest.4

II. He comes to judge the world in righteousness. Ps
xcvi. 13. He is now the Saviour ; but he shall then be th<
Judge; he is now upon the mercy-seat; he shall then bt
on the throne — the great white throne, before which the
living and the dead, the small and great shall stand. His
judgment shall be just and wise. It shall be impartial
and unchangeable. His sentences shall never be reversed
or altered throughout eternity ! All nations, and kindreds,
and tongues shall be summoned to his bar. „ You shall be
there. You, who are now reading these lines, and thinking
perhaps but little of that awful day ! How will you answer
the summons ? How will you give in your account ? Do
you tremble ? Does unfor given sin fill you with alarm ?
Then look to Jesus now!5 Look, and be forgiven ! Look,
and be saved for ever !

III. He comes to raise the dead. " Every man in his
own order, Christ the first fruits, afterwards they that are
Christ's at his coming." 1 Cor. xv. 23. The Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of God ; and the dead
in Christ shall rise first.6 That resurrection-morning is

he believer's joyful hope ; for then he shall see Jesus face
o face ; and the last relics of sin and suffering be left be-
lind him in his tomb. But is it full of hope and joy to
:ou ? Does the thought of that morning fill your soul with
oy unspeakable, and full of glory ? Or are you of those
vho, when that day arrives, would, a thousand times over,
vish to be allowed to remain for ever in the tomb, rather
han be dragged up as criminals from their cells, to hear
heir final doom ? If so, oh then flee noiv to a risen Sa-
viour ! His resurrection tells you of a finished atonement
—an open fountain — a rent veil — a free mercy-seat — a

gracious welcome from an injured, but still loving Father.

Flee now — tarry not; for the coming of the Lord draweth

nigh !

i Rev. xiv. 19. » Joel ii. 1,2. s Song ii. 14.

* Isaiah xxxii. 2. 6 Isaiah x\v. 22. 6 1 Thess. iv. 16.

No. 21 Behold He cometh with Clouds. 3

IV. He comes to he glorified in his saints, and to he
admired in all them that believe. 2 Thess. i. 10. Reader,
are you a saint? Are you one of those in whom Jesus
shall be glorified in that day ? Are you one of those who
shall admire him then ? Ah ! do you glorify him now ?
Do you admire him now ? Or do you despise and reject
him ? All his saints admire him : do you admire him too ?
Angels praise him : do you praise him too ? The Father
-delights in him : do you delight in him also ? He is the
Father's beloved : is he your beloved too ! Oh " kiss the
Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when
once his wrath is kindled but a little."1

V. He comes to make all things new. Rev. xxi. 5. He
comes as the second Adam, to undo all that the first Adam
did. He comes to repeal and remove the curse to which
creation has been subjected by the fall.2 We, according to
his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, where-
in dwelleth righteousness.3 Reader ! if all things are to
be made new, your heart must also be made new. There
must be a new creation within you, if you would possess
or enjoy the new creation without you. There must be
the new heart before you can sing the new song. Have
you been renewed ? Have old things passed away ? If
not, you are as yet without any hope of, or meetness for
the inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that
fadeth not away? Oh hear the words of Jesus ! " I counsel
thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest
be rich, and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed."
Then thou shalt walk with him in white, and shalt eat of
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of
God.

VI. He comes to bind Satan. Rev. xx. 1 — 3. As the
woman's promised seed he comes to bruise and crush the
serpent's head. In this his saints rejoice. But, Reader,
have you a share in that rejoicing ? Are Christ's triumphs
your triumphs ? Are the victories of the Lamb your vic-
tories ? Or, are you of the serpent's seed, who are all in
that day to share its doom ? If you are now in Satan's
*anks, then your overthrow and perdition are certain. Oh
quit these ranks for ever ! Join the Captain of our salva-
tion. Take up your cross and follow him. Then the con-
quests of Jesus shall be your conquests j and the spoils of
Jesus shall be your spoils !

4 Ps. ii. 12. * Rom. viii. 19—23. * 2 Pet. iii. IS.

4 No. 21. — Behold He cometh with Clouds.

VII. He comes to the marriage supper. Rev. xix. 7 — 9.
He is the bridegroom. He is now " tarrying."1 He will
not tarry long. He will soon be here, and the cry will be
raised — Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet
him. Reader, are you ready ? Have you oil in your ves-
sels ? Are your loins girt about, and your lamps burning?
Have you the fine linen clean and white, which is the
righteousness of the saints ?2 Oh be warned, lest you be
foolish virgin! lest you should have no wedding garment!
lest, ere you seek admittance, the door be shut. Oh remem-
ber, blessed are they that are called to the marriage-sup-
per of the Lamb.3

VIII. He comes to "sit upon the throne of his glory*
Matt. xix. 28. " He shall judge among the nations."4 He
shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his
ancients gloriously.5 He is to be the true Solomon — the
Prince of Peace. All things are to be put under his feet.6
He is to reign in righteousness.7 His kingdom and his
sceptre are a kingdom and a sceptre of righteousness.8
The kingdoms of this world shall become his one glorious
kingdom ; and the crowns of earth be placed upon the head
of Him who alone is worthy.

But into that kingdom nothing that defileth shall enter
(Rev. xxi. 27.) Respecting it He himself declared, "Verily
verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again he cannol
see the kingdom of God." John iii. 3. Reader! Are
you born again ? If not, then the gates of that kingdom
are closed against you? You cannot enter there. Oh
" repent ! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'' (Matt,
iv. 17.) The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. It is but
a little, and you shall hear the last trumpet sound. It is
but a little, and it shall be said to you, " Come to judgment,
come away." He that shall come will come and will not
tarry. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night. " Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now
is the day of salvation."

» Matt. xxv. 5. 2 Rev. xix. 18. 8 Rev. xix. 9.

4 Isaiah ii. 4. « Isaiah xxiv. 23. 9 Heb. ii. 8.

7 Isaiah xi. 4 — 9; xxxii. I.; Psalm lxxii.2. 8 Psalm xlv. 6, 7

April] 842.

[series to be continued.]

KtfLSO : Published by J. Rdtherfurd. Edinburgh : Johk
Johnstone, W. Whyte & Co., and Charles Ziegleb. Lon-
don : James Nisbet & Co. Price Is. 6d. per 100.

No. 22.

GOD'S UNSPEAKABLE GIFT,

THE 8INNER'S PLEDGE AND PLEA FOR EV2RY BLESSING.

* He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, hoit
shall he not with him also freely give us all things." — Rom. viii. 32.

The apostle here first states a fact ; and then he tells us
what that fact warrants us to expect from God. He re
minds us of what God has done, and then infers from thi
what God will do. " He spared not his own Son, but de
livered him up for us all ;" therefore there is nothing tha
he will deny us ; u how shall he not with him also freel}
give us all things."

Now God had every reason to spare his Son, and none
to induce him to deliver him up. For, 1. He was the ob-
ject of the Father's infinite and unutterable love. " The
Father loveth the Son."1 " This is my beloved Son in
whom I am well pleased."2 And whom does an earthly
father spare most, but his best beloved child ?5 Whom is
he most unwilling to deliver up to pain or infamy, but the
son of his affections ? And is not this unwillingness in pro-
portion to the love he bears him ? The more that he de-
lights in him, the more does he desire to spare him. If
such then be the feeling in the narrow, frozen, selfish soul
of man, what must it be in the infinite bosom of the infinite
God ? Which of all the beings in the universe would he
have most wished to spare ; which of them all would he be
most reluctant to deliver up ? The Son of his love ! That
Son in whom his " soul delighted ;"4 — that Son whom he
loved infinitely more than all the angels of heaven. 2. He
was infinitely worthy of all that infinite love. He wa*
worthy of the love of all creatures, worthy of the love o
all angels, worthy of the love of God! Of no other bein|
can it be said that it is worthy of the love of God, far les
that it is infinitely worthy of it. Yet so it was with th»
Son ; for in him there was infinite glory, infinite excel
lence, infinite beauty, infinite perfection. In him ther«,
was an infinitely worthy object for the whole infinite love o
the eternal Father. 3. He loved the Father with an infinite
love ; and what more painful or bitter to a father than to
part with a child that loves him tenderly, and clings to him
fondly, and cannot bear the thought of separation ? Here
was another reason why the Father might have spared the
Son. 4. We had no claim upon God for such a gift as this.
In truth we had no claim upon him for any gift at all.
1 John iii. 3.5. 2Matt. iii. 17. 3 Mai. iii. 17. 4 Isa. xlii. 1.

J. ttUTHERFURD?S SERIES OF TRACTS.

No. 22 — God's Unspeakable Gtjl.

Even unfallen creatures cannot properly be said to liave
a claim upon God for his blessings, for what he gives to
them even, he bestows of his free bounty. Much less then
can fallen beings have any claims upon him. Even for his
commonest mercies we have none. Even for a morsel of
food or a drop of cold water we have none, — no claim at
all ! Our only claim is for wrath, for punishment, for hell !
This is our only claim, as sinners; what possible claim then
could we have for the gift of his own Son ! Yet it was for
those who had no claim upon him for any thing but an
eternal hell, that he delivered up his Son ! Had it been
for angels who had never sinned, it would not have been so
marvellous.1 But for us ! — for sinners, for enemies, for
those who hated him, — how passing wonderful ! We might
conceive some reasons why he should give him for angels,
but what reason can be imagined why he should part
with him for us! The richest gift for the unworthiest of all!
And then not only undeserved by us ; but unsought, unde-
sired, uncared for; nay hated and spurned!2

Truly the Father had every conceivable reason to spare
his Son, and none that we could have imagined for deliver-
ing him up. Yet all this did not move him to withhold
the gift. " He spared him not."

And why does the apostle use the word "spare" in speak-
ing of this gift ? To show us that it was an infinite sacrifice
that he was consenting to make; — to teach us that it was
no light, no trivial thing; the occasion of no light, no trivial
^emotion in the Father's bosom ; — to imply that (to speak
,J after the manner of men) it cost him an infinite struggle
to part with such a Son ! As if he would say that had it
been possible he would far rather have spared him; far
rather have allowed the cup to pass from him, or never put
that cup into his hands at all. And to bring out this idea
more strongly, the apostle adds " delivered him up," that is,
he delivered him up as the judge does the criminal ; handed
him over as a victim to his relentless foes. He took him
out of his bosom, where he had dwelt from eternity, and
gave him over to the disposal of cruel enemies. How
amazing ! He spared not his own Son, but delivered him
up for us all ! He freely consented to the mighty, the in-
finite sacrifice !3

And why was it that these weighty reasons availed
nothing to stay his purpose ? Why was it that the Father
spared not his Son ? That Son himself answers the ques-
tion, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only be-
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should

1 Heb. ii. 16. * Rom. v. 0—8 ; ISph. ii. 4, 5. 3 fca. Uii. 10.

No. 22. — God s Unspeakable Gift 3

not perish, but have everlasting life."1 This was the one
reason which prevailed against all those manifold and infi-
nitely weighty reasons for sparing the Son, Though he was*
infinitely beloved of the Father, — though he was infinitely
worthy of all the Father's love,— though he infinitely loved
him in return, and had done nothing to deserve any thing but
love, — though we had no claim upoin God for such a gift ;
yet God so loved the world that he gave his Son ! He spared
not him that he might spare us, — he delivered up him that
he might not deliver up us, — he parted with him that he
! might not part with us, — he gave him up to the curse, that
he might obtain for us the blessing, — he poured on him
the vials of his infinite wrath, that he might pour out on
us the full measure of his infinite love.

Yes it wsisfor us that he delivered him up! It was that
he might take our place and bear our sins, that the Father
sent the Son ! And we know that the Son of God has
come and stood in our place. " He his own self bare our
sins in his own body on the tree."2 " He has finished
transgression, and made an end of sins, and made reconci-
liation for iniquitv and brought in everlasting righteous-
ness."3 He was made flesh and dwelt among us. He suf-
fered for sins, the just for the unjust. He took not merely
our nature, beeoming bone of our bone, and flesh of our
flesh, but our place, our room, our state, our legal re-
sponsibilities. He is not simply a saviour ; but a saviour
; as being a sacrifice, a substitute, a surety. Hence in the
salvation of a soul, there is a complete exchange between
the sinner and the Saviour. He takes all that belongs to us
, as sinners, and gives us in exchange all that belongs to
| himself as the Father's holy and well-beloved Son. He
I takes from us all our sin, all our guilt, all our un worthiness,
| and gives us in exchange all his infinite righteousness, and
; innocence, and worthiness in the Father's eyes. He trans-
fers to us what belongs to himself. Thus " He is made
unto us righteousness ;"4 and thus we are " made accepted
in the beloved."5 " As by one man's disobedience many
1 were sinners, so by the obedience of one, shall many be
made righteous."6

It was for this very end that the Father spared him

not. It was to bring about this transference, this complete

exchange, that he delivered him up for us all. He placed

] him in our room, that he might place us in his. He treat-

' ed him as we deserved to be treated, in order that he

• might treat us as he deserved to be treated. He dealt with

1 Jo. iii. 16. * 1 Pet. ii. 24. » Dan. ix. 24. 4 1 Cor. i. 30-
5 Eph. i. 6. * Roin. v. 19.

4 No. 22 — Gods Unspeakable Gift.

him as a sinner, in order that he might deal with us as right-
eous,,— perfectly, yea infinitely righteous. He inflicted on
him all that should have been inflicted on us, in order that
he might bestow upon us all that should be bestowed on
him. " The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."1
" He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him."2

And this exchange is free to all! It is infinitely glorious,
yet it is entirely free, — free to every man as a sinner, jus
as he is, just as he stands! It is without money and with
out price. It takes nothing for granted, but that we need
it. It requires neither price nor preparation, nor prerequi-
site on our part. It is absolutely and altogether free. And
herein are the glad tidings of great joy comprised. God
addresses each of us, and asks us to consent to this exchange.
This is all. He does not ask us to pay for it, or to endea-
vour to deserve it or to qualify ourselves for receiving it; but
just that we should consent to it — that we should " submit
ourselves to the righteousness of God." All he asks is to
allow him to clothe us with the righteousness of his Son :
to take away our filthy raiment and clothe us with the fine
linen clean and white !

Reader! are not these "good tidings of great joy? " Could
any thing be more fitted to gladden the heart of a sinner
who knows that ere long he must stand before God in judg-
ment, and has nothing about him but unrighteousness and
desert of hell ? And these tidings are as true as they are glad.
If then you are not comforted or gladdened by them, it must
be because you receive them not — because you will not con-
sent to this blessed exchange. It is not because your sins
are too many or too great to be forgiven; it is not because
your heart is too hard to be softened or your nature too cor-
rupt to be renewed ; — it is just because you put away from
you he message of peace, and are too proud to consent to be
freely forgiven. " I would have gathered you," says Christ
weeping over Jerusalem, but " ye would not."3 And so it is
still. " 1 would; but ye would not, " is the perdition or
those who neglect the great salvation.

Reader! The most high God, the God of heaven and
earth, this day renews his entreaties to you. He proposes
to you the exchange of which I speak. He comes to you
and says, " Wilt thou consent to have my Son for thy substi-
tute ? Wilt thou consent to part with all that is thine own,
and take in exchange all that is his? Wilt thou part with
thine own fancied claims, and take as a substitute for these
the claims of Jesus? In approaching me in prayer wilt thou
A Isa. liii. 6. * 2 Cor. v. 21. 8 Matt, xxiii. 37.

No. 22^-Gods Unspeakable Gift. 5

take his claims instead of thine own?1 In looking forward to
the judgment-seat, wilt thou take his claims instead of thina
own ? In all thy transactions with me wilt thou consent to
be treated upon the ground of his merits and not thine own?
Art thou willing, that in dealing with thee I should remem-
ber what he has done, and not what thou hast done, or can
do? I am willing that this should be the footing on which we
are henceforward to stand, and that this should be the man-
ner of our dealings together; art thou willing? If thou art
willing, then all is well. Henceforth we meet on holy ground ;
henceforth I deal with thee as I deal with Christ; I count thee
righteous as he is righteous, and I treat thee, love thee, lister
to thee, delight over thee as such. But if thou wilt noi
consent to this exchange; if thou cl ingest to thine own claims
either in part or in whole ; if thou wilt not be wholly re-
presented by Christ, and looked upon by me in him, and
not in thyself; then thou must reap as thou art sowing ;
thou must be judged according to thine own standard, and
take thy stand at the judgment-seat in thine own name
and not in his, and be dealt with to the uttermost accord-
ing to thine own deservings, and receive the eternal wrath
to which alone thou hast any claim."2

Reader! Is not a proposal like this a most gracious and
blessed one for you, a child of wrath ? Could any ex-
change be fairer or more profitable ? Why do you hesi-
tate as if you stood in doubt as to its fairness ? Why de-
lay as if you thought it unnecessary ? Ah ! if such a pro-
posal were made in heaven to the unfallen spirits above,
would not the highest archangel round the throne rejoice
to embrace it ? Is there an angel there that would not
welcome such an exchange ? They are sinless and right-
eous, no doubt, and live under God's perpetual smile ; yet
their righteousness is but that of a creature at the best.
How gladly then would they put off their own created
righteousness, that they might be clothed with the un-
created righteousness of God ! How eagerly would they
part with their own creature beauty, however glorious and
dazzling, that they might shine in the infinite uncreated
beauty of God's eternal Son ? And shall a sinner be loath
to part with his polluted raiment, his vile unrighteousness,
that he may receive in return such an infinitely perfect
righteousness, such an infinitely glorious garment, as that
on which the Father gazes with delight unutterable ?

But is the exchange really so free? It is. And is it free

to me as I am ? Yes, just as thou art. All things are

ready, come then to the feast. " But my sins, my sins, so

1 ts. lxxxiv. 9. John xv. 7. 2 Heb. ii. 1—3 ; x. 28, :>U. xi\ '2b.

6 No. 22 — God's Unspeakable Gift.

aggravated, so innumerable; are these no hindrance?"
None. If thy sins were not great, thou wouldst not need
such a righteousness; and the greater thy sins are, the
greater thy need for parting with them without delay.
" But my hardness of heart, my want of love, my imper-
fect convictions of sin, my dreadful insensibility, are these
not reasons for doubting, and must I not get these in some
measure removed before I can venture to welcome the
proposed exchange." What! must you have a soft heart,
a holy nature and deep repentance, before coming to the
Saviour?1 Is the Holy Spirit to give you these in order
that you may have some right or warrant to go to him?
Are you not desiring these in order that you may go to him
as something less, something better than a wretched hard-
hearted, wrath-deserving sinner ? Are you not wishing for
some claims of your own to add to those of Christ, or to
be your own plea in asking God to confer Christ's claims
upon you? If you are utterly destitute of such feelings
as you desire, then all you can say is, just that you are
utterly destitute of any claim of your own at all. And is
not that the point to which God wishes you to come ? Is
not that the very state of soul which makes the claims of
Jesus appear infinitely desirable ?2

Reader! listen to God's loving proposals and entrea-
ties. Oh I defer not to make so glorious an exchange. It
is freely set before you. If you have it not, it is because
you reject it. It is not because God would not consent,
but because you would not. God says, " whosoever will;"3
and could any proposal be more freely, more graciously
made ; or could any proposal be more exactly suitable to
you ? " Whosoever will" is enough to answer all your ob-
jections, and to remove all your fears !

Such, reader, is the fact which the apostle states ; now
let us observe how he reasons from it. " He that spared
not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also f reel?/ give us all things." Such is
the inference which the apostle draws from the simple fact
to which he had alluded I And can any reasoning be
more forcible or conclusive ? He that has already given
the greater gift, will he deny the less ? He that has al
ready given us the whole ocean, will he refuse us a
single drop ? He that has given us unfathomable mines of
gold, will he deny us a single particle? He that has given
us the full sun in the firmament, will he deny us a solitary
beam ? Will the God that has already parted with his

Acts v. 31. * Rev. hi. 71, 18. 3 Rev. xxii. 17.

No. 22 God's Unspeakable Gift. 7

richest and most precious gifts, refuse us his lesser ones ?
Will he who has given his own Son, deny us any thing ?
Is such a thing possible ? Is it conceivable ? Would it
not be the greatest of all imaginable contradictions ? The
simple fact then, that God has given his Son, is of itself,
and by itself, perfectly sufficient to warrant our absolute
and unlimited confidence in God ; so that it seems a thing
impossible and incredible, that a sinner understanding and
believing that simple fact, could have any thing less than
the apostle's confidence.

1. The infinitely weighty reasons mentioned at the be-
ginning, why God might have been expected to spare his Son,
do not exist in this latter case. These reasons stood in the
way of God's giving his son ; but they do not stand in the
way of his giving us anything else. Now, if he gave his
Son, his unspeakable gift, when there were so many rea-
sons against it, will he withhold his lesser gifts, when there
are none of these reasons at all in the way ? Impossible.
" How shall he not with him also freely give us all
things ?

2. It cost him much to part with his Son ; it cost him
nothing to give every other blessing. Nay, so far from
costing him any thing, he delights to bestow them. He is
weary of withholding, but never weary of giving. Now, if
we freely parted with what cost him such an infinite sacri-
fice, will he refuse us what costs him nothing but the
delight of giving ? He delights to give us his Holy
Spirit. He delights to quicken us, to renew us, to sanctify
us, to fulfil in us all the good pleasure of his goodness, and
the work of faith with power. It costs him nothing to do
all that. Will he then refuse us his Spirit ? Will he
refuse to make us holy ? Will he need many arguments to
persuade him to do so ? Impossible ! for he has already
given his Son ! and " how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things ?'

3. He gave his Son unasked and undesired by us. We
did not ask him to give his Son. Nay, we cared nothing
about such a gift. We cared nothing about God or his
favour at all. He might justly have said, « They do not
want to be saved. Why should I save them ? They d
not want eternal life ; they do not want pardon, or recon
ciliation, or deliverance from sin. Why should I be a
such a cost to obtain these blessings for them ? Wh}
should I part with my well-beloved Son for the sake of
sinners who hate me and my gifts, who have never asked,
never desired any such blessings ; nay, who hate and scorn
them." God might well hav^ said so ; but his thoughts

8 No. 22 — God's Unspeakable Gift

were not as our thoughts, nor his ways as our ways, and
therefore, though we desired nothing of him, he gave his
Son, his unspeakable gift! And having given us such a
gift unsought, undesired, will he deny us any thing when
we apply for it? In this light, how brightly does that
glorious promise beam which came from the lips of the
Son himself, " Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall
find ?'n And was it not in this very way that he taught us
to reason when he said to the woman of Samaria, " If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee,
Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him and he
would have given thee living water."2

4. When he gave his Son, there was no intercessor to
plead for us ; no name that could have been used to pre-
vail with him to do so ; yet he spared not his Son ! What,
then> will he not give us, now that we can go to him and
plead the beloved name of the beloved Son ! What is
there that he can refuse when we have that Son for an in-
tercessor at his right hand above ?

5. When ne gave his Son for us, he saw nothing in us
but sin ; yet he did not refuse his unspeakable gift. Is it
possible, then, that we can be denied any thing when we
appear before him in the righteousness of his Son ? If our
unrighteousness did not prevent him delivering up his Son,
what is there that we may not expect when he looks upon
us as altogether righteous in him ?

6. The fact of our being sinners did not hinder him
from freely giving his own Son ; is it possible, then, that
the fact of our being sinners now will lead him to refuse
his other blessings ? Our sinfulness was no barrier in the
one case, can it be so in the other ? If our guilt was a
sufficient reason for refusing us any gift, then surely it
should have hindered him from giving us his richest and
most glorious gift ; but if it was for us, when we were un-
godly, that Christ was given — if it was when we were
enemies and rebels that the Father delivered up his Son for
us — if all our ungodliness, and enmity, and rebellion, did
not keep back "the unspeakable gift," is it conceivable that
any or all of these together can keep back his lesser gifts ?

God's gift of his Son is thus the pledge, the sure and in-
finite pledge of every other gift; a pledge so sure and so in-
finite as to make it the greatest of all impossibilities that
he should bestow the one and deny the other; a pledge
thrown down freely to sinners, and which, therefore, every
one who hears of it may take up and go at once with it to
God just as he is, in the assured confidence, that he who

i Luke xL 9—13. 2 John iv. 10; Rom. v. 10.

No. 22 God's Unspeakable Gift. 0

spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all,
will with him also freely give us all things. This simple
(act, that God has not spared his own Son, is of itself
sufficient to assure us of every thing. What more do we
need to call forth the most unbounded confidence towards
God ? What greater or surer pledge could God give us ;
and ifthisisnot enough of itself to awaken the sinner's con-
fidence, what is there in heaven or earth that can do it ? Is
there not in that simple, but infinitely glorious fact, a
foundation laid, broad enough, and deep enough, to sustain
the full confidence of the chief of sinners? Can any
thing be added to it so as to make it more secure or
suitable for the guiltiest of the human race to build upon ?J
Can any thing in us, or done by us, or felt by us, or
wrought in us, make it more sufficient or suitable ? If,
then, we can hear of it, and yet feel no confidence or
assurance, is it not plain that we do not fully understand
its meaning, or appreciate its glorious sufficiency? There
must be some mistake in our minds about the matter, if
we can admit the fact here stated, and yet not draw the
apostle's conclusion. That fact of itself is sufficient to dis-
pel every doubt and banish every fear. That God, who
spared not his Son, is surely a being whose thoughts are
not as our thoughts, and whose ways are not as our ways,
and to whom, therefore, however guilty, however worth-
less, we may come " boldly," nothing doubting. Nay, to
come with less than boldness must be sin, for it is just tell-
ing him that his gift of his Son is not sufficient to give you
confidence, without some addition, which you hope in due
time he will confer on you, or which you may work out for
yourself.2

But you will say, it was an inspired apostle that
reasoned in this way, and, his example is not exactly
suited to your case. This might do for him, but you
do not think it is enough for you. But, iet me ask,
does lie speak here as an apostle, or simply as a sinner ?
Does he say, I am an apostle, therefore God will deny me
nothing? No. Though he was the chief among the apostles,
he reasons as the chief of sinners, — as one, who knew nothing
in himself, nothing in the whole world to give him confi-
dence, but just the fact that God spared not his own Son.
He reasons from a fact which is as open to you as it was
to him. He rested his confidence on a truth which is the
same to you or any sinner as it was to him. Why not then
draw the same conclusion, and with the triumphant confi-

iii. 11. 1 Tim. i. 15. * Phil. iii. 3, 4.

10 No. 22 — God's Unspeakable Gift.

But you will say, this way of reasoning may be right
for advanced Christians, but it does not suit my case,
who cannot venture to call myself a Christian yet, who
am nothing but a sinner. Well, but was it as a saint
or as a sinner that Paul reasoned thus? Did he say,
because I am an advanced saint, therefore God will freely
give me all things. No ; he did not rest his confidence en
the fact of his being a saint, but simply on the fact that
God did not spare his Son ? Go thou and do likewise.

But you will say, oh! if I were but conscious of the Holy
Spirit's work in me, I would have no hesitation in reasoning
thus; but till then it would be presumption in me to do so.
Now I know, that it is the Holy Spirit that alone can teach
and enlighten you, and that, if he do not show you the
things of Christ, my showing will be vain. But remember
that the Spirit works, not by giving something new in your-
self as a ground of confidence, but by showing you the
fulness and excellence of the Father's gift, as an infinitely
sufficient ground of confidence for the chief of sinners. The
Holy Spirit does not show you something good in yourself
to rest on or take peace from, but he leads your eye to the
divine resting-place for weary souls. And remember Paul
did not say, " He who has given me his Holy Spirit will
not refuse me anything ;" but " he who spared not his own
Son, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things." It was the Father's gift of Christ, and not his
gift of the Holy Spirit that the apostle built upon ; and why
should not you go, and, just as you are, do the same ?

But you will say, oh ! I have no evidences of grace, no
deep convictions of sin, no true repentance, nothing but a
hard heart, a blind understanding, a seared conscience, a
stupid and insensible soul. Well, but was it because he
had got all these evidences that you desire, that the apostle
exclaimed so boldly, " how shall he not freely give us all
things?" No, he did not get his confidence from these, but
from the simple fact, that God spared not his own Son. Go
then with all your hardness, and deadness, and coldness ;
go just as you are, and take refuge in the same cleft of the
rock in which the apostle found shelter for himself. It is
as free to you as to him ; it is as free to you this moment,
as it ever will or can be. 1

But you will say, it may be so, but the state of my soul
is so bad, my heart so hard and insensible, I am altogether
so carnal sold under sin, that I often despond, and think it
impossible that even God can do such a mighty work in me,
or effect such a glorious change. Ah ! and is it thus you
reason, with regard either to the power or the willingness of

No, 22 God's Unspeakable Gift. 1 1

that God who has already given his own Son ? Has he given
his Son, and do you think, after that, it is too much to hope
that lie will change your heart ? Is the renewing of a single
soul a greater work or wonder than the gift of his Son?
Give up such dishonouring doubts. Is anything too hard
for the God that has parted with Christ ? Is anything too
much for the love of him who spared not his Son. Has he
given his Son, and will he refuse his Holy Spirit ? Has he
given his Son, and will he refuse to renew you in the spirit
of your mind ?

Oh ! think of this! Ponder the apostle's glorious and re-
sistless argument. Remember that the fact of your being
lost, worthless, ungodly, hard-hearted, an enemy, a rebel,
did not hinder him from giving his Son. And if they did
not hinder that, will they hinder anything ? Nay, so far
from these being reasons against God's sending Christ, they
were the very reasons that led him to send him to save us.
How perverse then, how unkind, to suppose that he will
take advantage of your guilt or enmity now, to turn you
away from the mercy-seat, and put your confidence to shame!
Can any amount or any kind of unworthiness in you, make
it less true that God spared not his own Son ? So long
then, as that simple fact remains the same, you are not
merely warranted, but bound to come to God with con-
fidence, whatever may be the extent of your guilt, or the
depravity of your heart.

Two things then are plain from the apostle's words, first,
that we cannot ask too confidently ; and secondly, that we
cannot ask too much.

First, we cannot ask too confidently, for our boldne&s
comes from our knowledge of a. fact, of whose certainty there
can be no doubt. That fact properly understood, is enough
to assure us of everything. This simple fact, if it be suffi-
cient to assure you of anything, is sufficient to assure you
of everything. Nothing less than this could have given you
the shadow of a hope, and nothing more than this is needed
to give you the most perfect confidence. To have less than
this full confidence, is just to say, that God has given us
' the greater gift, but grudges us the lesser. To have less
is to dishonour God, and to slight his gift. It is just say-
ing, that this pledge is not enough for you : that the love
implied in this gift is not sufficient for you to rest on, with-
out some inward pledge, for which you are waiting ! Less
than this confidence then must be presumption on your
part ; it must be self-righteousness and pride. This is the
only way in which your doubts and suspicions can be ac-
counted for. For are you not reversing the apostle's argu-

12 No. 22 — God's Unspeakable Gift.

ment, and saying, that though God has not spared his Son,
but delivered him up, yet you are not sure whether he will,
notwithstanding this, give you anything !

Secondly, we cannot ask too much. It is not possible to
expect too much from one who has already freely bestowed
such a glorious gift. The whole universe is nothing in
comparison with this. Nay all spiritual blessings are as
nothing when compared with this infinite gift ; so that it
is not possible for us to desire too much, or to ask too
much so long as we know that the God of whom we are
asking, is he who spared not his own Son. Is anything
too hard for him? Is anything too much for him ? Is any-
thing, therefore, too great or too glorious for you to ask and
to expect at his hands? The conclusion then to which we are
brought in regard to this whole matter, is just that in which
the apostle in another place sums up his argument, " having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath
consecrated through the vail, that is, his flesh ; and having
an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with
a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed
with pure water."1

Here then is the sinner's hope, the sinner's welcome,
and the sinner's peace! Come, sinner, come! Come, wanderer,
come ! There is room enough for you in the heart of him
who spared not his own Son. It is an infinite heart, a heart
whose dimensions are altogether boundless, and can take in
millions such as you ! It is to the embrace of the everlast-
ing arms that we invite you to hasten, and their infinite
circle is wide enough to compass myriads such as you!
The bosom on which we ask you to recline, is that bosom
of love out of which the eternal Son came forth, as the Fa-
ther's gift to man, and could there be any pillow softer
or safer on which to lay your weary head? Return
then, thou banished one, — thou "captive exile,"2 to thy Fa-
ther's house ! Come, lost one, come ! Come now ; come
just as you are ; come without price or preparation. For
Father, Son, and Spirit unite in proclaiming, " him that
cometh to me I will in nowise cast out."5

1 Hebrews x. 19—22. 2 Isaiah li. 14. 3 John vi. 37.

Kklso, Sept. 1842.

[SEKIES TO BE CONTINUED.]

Kelso: Published by J. Ruthekfurd. Edinburgh: John
Johnstone, W. Whyte & Co., and Charles Zikgler. Lon-
don : James Nisbet & Co. Price 4s. (id. per 100.

No. 23.

SALVATION TO THE UTTERMOST

" Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for then. "
— Heb. vii. 25.

It is of Jesus, the great High Priest after the order of
Melchisedec, that these words are spoken. It is He who
is the "Surety of the better covenant."1 It is He who
hath the " unchangeable priesthood."2 It is He who hav-
ing " offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the
right hand of God."3 He therefore is a Saviour to the
uttermost; and this not only because of what he did on
earth for the putting away of sin, but because of what he
is now doing in heaven as an ever-living intercessor, carry-
ing into effect that glorious work which he completed on
the cross. It is in the knowledge of this Saviour that we
have eternal life. Let us then inquire what God has taught
us in these words concerning him. And may the Holy
Spirit testify of him to us, enlightening the eyes of our
understanding, that we may know the things that are freely
given to us of God !

1 . Christ is a Saviour. " He is able to save." It was
on this account that he is described by the prophet Isaiah,4
as "mighty to save;" and for this he was named Jesus,
because " he saves his people from their sins."5 This was
the purpose for which he was sent ; — " the Father sent the
Son to be the Saviour of the world."8 This was the
errand which he fulfilled, — " the Son of man is come to
save that which was lost."7 It was for this that he spoke
to the people when on earth, — " these things I say that ye
might be saved."8 For this he was born, for this he lived,
for this he died, for this he rose again, for this he ascended
up on high, — " Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and
a Saviour."9 And from what does he save? He saves
from sin, from guilt, from wrath, from the curse, from a
present evil world, from hell, from Satan himself. From
all these he is a Saviour, a complete Saviour, the only
Saviour, a Saviour not for those who deserve salvation, but
for those who need it,

'Heb. vii. 22. * Heb. vii. 24. * Heb. x. 12.

Isaiah lxiii. 1. * Matt. i. 21. • 1 John iv. 14.

■ Matt, xviii. 11. « John v. 34. 9 Acts v. 31.

j. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 23. — Salvation to the Uttermost.

But how is he thus " able to save?" (1.) Because he is
God — the Lord God Almighty, of whom, and through
whom, and to whom are all things. All authority and do-
minion are his; all power either to save or to destroy.
(2.) He is " able to save," because he is the God-Man, God
manifest in the flesh, Immanuel, God with us ; and thus he has
all power, created and uncreated, human and divine, finite
and infinite, centred in himself. Who could be more able to
be a Saviour than he who is God; and who could be more
suitable to be our Saviour than he who is bone of our bone,
flesh of our flesh, our kinsman, our brother.1 (3.) He is
" able to save," because of the work which he has done,
by coming into our place, taking upon him our responsibi-
lities, and bearing our sins. It was not mere power, though
infinite, that could save us. It must be power put forth in
a righteous way. And until there was a righteous way
opened up for its exercise, it could do nothing for our sal-
vation. Therefore it is in his work that his great power
and strength as the Saviour may be said to lie ; for had
there been no sacrifice or atonement, not even an infinite
arm could have saved us. As long as infinite righteous-
ness was against us, it was in vain though infinite power
were^or us. But Christ's atoning work has brought infi-
nite power, and righteousness, and holiness, as well as in-
finite love and grace, all over to the same side. None of
these are against us now. Our salvation is in full accord-
ance with them all. Through the " blood of his cross" he
has made reconciliation for iniquity, and on that cross pro-
vided a place where God and the sinner may meet in peace.
He has taken out of the way that which hindered God from
having any dealings with us; and thus it is now as righteous
and glorifying a thing in God to pardon, as before it was
to punish transgressors. He has magnified the law and
made it honourable,2 so that the dishonour we had done to
that law by our disobedience, is far more than made up for by
the glory which he has put upon it through his perfect and
divine obedience. Christ's work is thus a full treasure-
house of every thing the sinner can need or desire. In it
there is full provision for pardon, for cleansing, for renew-
ing, for eternal life, for holiness, for complete restoration to
the image, the character, the kingdom of God, and to every
blessing included in the term salvation, that is, to the com-
plete reversal of and deliverance from every thing which
made us lost, and the full bestowal of every blessing from
the hand of God, which a saved condition can possibly im-

» Heb. ii. 16—18. * Isaiah xlii. 21.

No. 23 Salvation to the Uttermost. 3

ply, from the lowest degree of mere deliverance from hell,
up to the highest glories of which a created being can be
heir. (4.) He is " able to save," because of the offices he
sustains. As a priest he saves from sin ; as a mediator he
brings us to God; as an intercessor he pleads our cause;
as the shepherd and bishop of souls he seeks and saves the
lost, as well as watches over them when found; as Messiah
he anoints us with the Holy Spirit, bestowing gifts on men,
even on the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell
among them; as a prophet he teaches the ignorant, and
makes the foolish wise unto salvation ; as the captain of our
salvation he fights our battles and leads the array against
our enemies; as a king he rules in us and over us, making
us more than conquerors over earth and hell, — over the
power of this ensnaring flesh with all its deadly lusts which
war against the soul, — over this gay seducing world with
all its pomp, and pride, and bravery, — over principalities
and powers, and all the banded legions of the prince of
darkness.

2. Christ is a Saviour to the uttermost. He is not
only able to save, but infinitely able. It is the ability
of Omnipotence. It is the ability of one who has all
power in heaven, in earth, in hell. It is the ability of
one who has shed infinitely precious blood, who has
paid an infinitely precious ransom, who has laid down
an infinitely precious life, in order that there might be
salvation to the uttermost. It is the ability of one who
has accomplished an infinitely glorious work, and there-
by made infinite provision for every thing that sinners
could require. It is the ability of one who has not only
mercy and grace upon his side, but righteousness, holi-
ness, and truth. Every infinite perfection is now upon
the side of salvation. A Saviour's death did this. Before
that they were against it. Nothing therefore can be be-
yond the reach of a Saviour such as this. No sinner up-
on earth, no sinner on this side of hell can be beyond his
power to save. His salvation goes to the very uttermost
extremity of human ruin, to " the very ends of the earth,"
up to the very gate of hell.

(1.) This salvation is "to the uttermost" with respec'
to a sinner's state and character. It goes to the very
extremity of ruin and death. There is no degree of
guilt for which it has not provided a full pardon. There
are no sins too many, — there is no burden too heavy for a
salvation like this. Though our sins be truly infinite in
number ; though they be more than the hairs of our head,
or the sands on the sea-shore, or the drops of the ocean, or

4 No. 23 — Salvation to the Uttermost.

the leaves of the forest, or the stars of heaven, or all
of these multiplied together, yet still this salvation goes
infinitely above and beyond them all. Though they be
awfully heinous and aggravated, like scarlet or crimson,
unspeakably abominable and loathsome, nay, black as hell,
yet still this salvation goes far beyond them. Nor can
any sinner be too vile and polluted to be saved. He may
be sunk deepest of all in the horrible pit and the miry
clay ; his soul may be a cage of unclean birds, hateful and
filthy beyond human conception, yet still there is salvation
for him here. Here is blood even to cleanse such a soul,
nay, to make it whiter than the snow. No soul is too vile
for Jesus to cleanse.1 Nor can any soul be too dead for
Jesus to quicken. They may be lying in the deepest
grave of trespasses and sins, yet the arm of Jesus can
reach down to them and pluck them from it. The power
of Jesus can awaken the soul that is sunk in the deepest
slumbers of spiritual death.2 Let no one then say, My
soul is so dead, that I despair of its ever being quickened.
Here is life for the deadest ; life to the uttermost. No
degree of death is beyond the power of Him who is the
resurrection and the life. To speak thus despondingly of
your deadness is not humility, but presumption. It is
limiting the power and grace of Jesus. It is saying that
he is not able to save to the uttermost, — that there are
some states of death beyond his reach ! Neither is there
any heart too hard for Jesus to soften. It matters not
how hard it be. It may be like iron, that nothing will
break ; it may be like adamant, that nothing will melt.
It may be both of these together, or far more so than any
figure can give you the least idea of. But still it is not
too hard for Him. Neither is there, any soul too needy,
too poor, too full of wants for Him. It matters not how
manifold be the wants, how deep the poverty, how great
the need. Still he is able to save to the uttermost ; and that
surely is enough to assure the very neediest that there is
abundant supply for them. His fulness is the fulness of
God, and that is infinite. " It pleased the Father that in
Him should all fulness dwell." And he himself thus gra-
ciously addresses the needy soul, " I counsel thee to buy
of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich."
None are too empty for Jesus to fill ; and that in no
scanty measure, but even to overflowing ; " he that be-
lieveth on me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water."
Neither is there any soul too miserable for Him to make

1 Isaiah i. 18; 1 Cor. vi. 9—11 ; 1 John i. 7.

2 Jobnv. 25; Eph. ii. 1.

No. 23 — Salvation to the Uttermost. 5

perfectly blessed. " Come unto me all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He
has peace for the most troubled, rest for the weariest, light
for the darkest, joy for the most sorrowful, calm for the
most tempest-tost, perfect blessedness for the most wretched
of all ! He gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourn-
ing, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Truly
he -is a Saviour to the uttermost !

Take your station on the highest eminence of earth,
which commands the widest prospect that man's eye can
reach. Look around on this fallen earth. Look back-
ward on the condition of sin and wretchedness in which
its millions have been involved for these six thousand
years ; look forward and conceive the guilt in which it is
yet to be more fearfully sunk ere the day of its glory
come. Look on every side of you in this present genera-
tion. See the pollution, the guilt, the abominations, the
enormities with which it is flooded. Take a wider circle,
and conceive what lie beyond these, — the crimes, the
atrocities, perpetrated in secret, unseen by the eye of man,
deeds done in darkness, and fit only to be named in dark-
ness,— every thing conceivable on this side of hell. Take
a yet wider circle, and imagine, if that be possible, how
much more than all that, God's eye discerns, and God's
soul abhors in what has been done and is yet doing on the
surface of this fallen earth. Take the very widest possible
circle of human guilt, the deepest mire of mortal sin ; and
imagine in addition to these, all possible difficulties and
hindrances ; still beyond that widest circle, — yea, infinite-
ly beyond the farthest that man's guilt has compassed,
is the power of Jesus to save ! For his is salvation to
the uttermost ; his is the salvation of God. The sinner
may indeed have gone to the very extremity of guilt,
— to the very ends of the earth in his wanderings from
God. Yea, he may have gone to the very gates of hell,
and be knocking for admittance there. He may be a
brand already set on fire of hell ; yet even from thence
the arm and power of Jesus can pluck him ; even from the
gates of hell can the outstretched hand of Jesus save!1

(2.) This salvation is to the uttermost in respect to the
completeness of the salvation. It is a complete deliverance
that Jesus brings to the soul. The first thing he does is
to justify the sinner ; and this he does at once and entirely,
so soon as we believe in his name. Our acceptance with
the Father, through his beloved Son, is a perfect and im-

1 2 Chron. xxxiii. 1 — 13; Zech. iii. 2; 1 Tim. i. 13—16.

6 No. 23. — Salvation to the Uttermost.

mediate acceptance, without any reserve. It is not par-
tially or by halves, that he forgives. He forgives fully,
and without limitation ; so that not so much as one sin
remains unpardoned. He forgives not merely until seven
times, or until seventy times seven, or even until ten
thousand times ten thousand, but without number or
bound. Whether our sins be known or unknown, felt or
unfelt, remembered or forgotten, he freely forgives all to
the uttermost. And as he forgives entirely, so he sanctifies
wholly. Whatever be the hindrances or the enemies in our
way, he will perfect that which he begins. Whatever have
been our past lives, the sins or crimes of manhood, still he
saves " to the uttermost," so as entirely to undo the evil of
our former ways, and wash away the pollution of our for-
mer sins. Hence the salvation of one sinner is as com-
plete as that of another, though the former may have lived
much longer, and gone far deeper into sin than the latter.
The salvation of Rahab the harlot was as complete as that
of Joshua, her deliverer ; nor would her long life of sin
make her peace less perfect or secure than his, though
perhaps he had known the Lord from his youth. The sal-
vation of Manasseh, whose sins, both in their own enormity,
and by their aggravations, seem absolutely without a paral-
lel, was as complete as that of his godly father Hezekiah,
or his inspired teacher Isaiah. The salvation of Paul, the
blasphemer and persecutor, was not less complete than
that of Timothy, who from his youth had sought after
God. Nothing but an infinite salvation could have reached
the case of such vile transgressors ; but when it did reach
them, it left nothing imperfect. It purged their con-
sciences and cleansed their souls from guilt, even such as
theirs. It brought them a perfect, not a partial or doubt-
ful peace. It gave them as complete an assurance of
God's love, and as sure a consciousness of reconciliation
with him, as it could give to those whose past life had
been stained with no such outward abominations. It pre-
served unruffled the steadfast calm of the soul, even in the
full remembrance of all the enormities of other days. Oh,
what a salvation must this be, that could accomplish all
this so perfectly, even for the chief of sinners !

And then, all this is eternal. It is not a temporary sal-
vation ; neither is it one that can change or give way here-
after. No. It is eternally secure; for be who commenced
it, ever liveth to maintain and perpetuate it. He preserves
each saved soul, by his mighty power, unto his coming, that
then he may present them faultless before the presence of his
glory with exceeding joy. Nay, their very dust to him is dear.

No. 23 Salvatio?i to the Uttermost. 7

Their body as well as their soul he saves, raising it up and
making it like unto his own glorious body, that he may place
them altogether perfect, completely saved, upon his throne
in the day when he returns to reign.1 And throughout
eternity these saved ones remain as trophies of a Saviour's
grace and power; an undecaying memorial of the redeem-
ing love of him who " is able to save to the uttermost."
No stain of former sin can reappear upon their spotless rai-
ment; nor can all the infinite abomination of their former
ways prevent them from shining in their perfect brightness
as the sons of light — it may be, the most resplendent of all !
No returning mists of earth can ever again overcast their
everlasting sunshine, or cloud the pure azure of their sky.
No remembrance of guilt can ever draw one darkening
shadow over their brow of light. No consciousness that
they are the very sinners who were once in the horrible pit
and in the miry clay, can check their notes of joy, or do
ought but add to the gladness as well as the loudness of
the new song they sing. How truly is all this "salvation to
the uttermost" — salvation that knows no bound — no end!

3. They that come unto Christ are saved. He saves
those who come unto God by him, or who come unto him-
self, for both statements are common in Scripture. Those
whom he saves are those who come unto the Father through
him as the way, who consent to take him as the way to
God; to recognise him as "the way, the truth, and the
life" — the new and living way into the presence of God.
He saves none else. Not but that he has the power to
save millions more, even of those who refuse to come; yet
still he saves none who remain away. Their remaining
away, their refusing to come unto the Father through him,
seals their condemnation. To save such would be to pro-
claim his own work unnecessary, to declare that he had
died in vain. Therefore he saves none who reject him as
their Siiviour; he leaves them to die in their sins. He saves
none who persist in coming to God by ways of their own,
who seek life by methods of their own, who try to obtain
pardon by doings of their own. He saves none who stand
afar off, and turn away from God. None of these he
saves, so long as they remain such. It is the coming
ones that he saves; those who consent to take him and him
only as the access into the holiest — the way unto the Father.
Whosoever then persists in taking his own way of coming to
God, cannot be saved. Whosoever comes without this Me-
diator or chooses another, cannot be saved. It is our taking

1 Eph. v. 27; Col. i. 22; Jude 24.

8 No. 23. — Salvation to the Uttermost.

him as the appointed way to God, and drawing near by that
way, that saves us ! 1

The special object of the apostle in making this state-
ment seems to be to show that Christ is so infinitely able
to save, that none can possibly bring to him a case too des-
perate— a case beyond his skill and power to cure. Such
is his power, that if sinners will only bring the case to him,
however helpless it may seem, still it must yield to his
touch. All who will only put their case into his hands will
find in him an infinitely sufficient Saviour. And yet how
many are seeking to save themselves, before they come to him
to be saved ! How many refuse to come as they are, and try
to do something, however little, in the way of saving them-
selves, before they count themselves entitled to come to him
for the rest. How many think they must begin the work,
and then come to him to end it. They think it would be
presumption to bring a soul so diseased as theirs, a heart so
hard and dead as theirs. They count it humility to stay
away, or at least to come doubting and fearing. They do
not see that it is not humility but presumption to stay away,
or to come doubting, as if he to whom they were coming
were either unable or unwilling to receive and save them.

Whosoever thou art then, only come, and thou shalt be
saved. Come unto God by him! Whatever be your sin,
only come! Whatever be your un worthiness, only come!
Whatever be your hardness of heart, only come! What-
ever be the peculiarity of your case, only come! Bring
your oppressed soul to him! Bring your hard heart to him!
Bring your troubled conscience to him! Do not stand afar
off. Do not try to be your own physician. Do not try to
make yourself better before you come. In the very state
in which this message finds you, come! There is infinite
fulness in him. There is infinite provision for you in that
fulness. There is infinite love in him. There is infinite
willingness to save you. He sends you this message ; he
stretches out his arm; he beckons with his hand; he lifts
up his gracious voice to you, saying, I am the way, and the
truth and the Kfe — him that cometh unto me I will in no
wise cast out.

4. Christ s intercession is the pledge of his infinite
ability to save. He ever liveth to make intercession for
us. It is for this that he liveth. It is for this that he is
exalted to the throne of the majesty in the heavens. And
this is the assurance to us of his being able to save unto
the uttermost; for it is by this intercession that he carries

1 John x. 9; xiv. 6; Eph. ii. 18; Ileb. x. 19, 20.

No. 23.— Salvation to the Uttermost. 9

on our salvation. His work on earth, as the sacrifice,
wrought out the atonement from which salvation flows;
and his work in heaven, as the advocate with the Father,
carries on and applies that work. On earth he finished
his work as the bearer of sin, thereby taking it out of the
way, and opening the access to God. In heaven he is now
seated to effect the reconciliation for which he had prepar-
ed the way, — to introduce to the Father those that approach
to his name. Let us briefly consider what this intercession
implies.

(1.) He intercedes by presenting his sacrifice before the
throne. He appears in heaven as "the Lamb that was
slain."1 As such the Father beholds him and is well
pleased. And thus by his presenting himself and his com-
plete work before the Father, intercession is made by him,
silent yet resistless. His appearance pleads, — his attitude
pleads, — his blood pleads,^-his obedience pleads, — his sa-
crifice pleads. Just as the altar might be said to plead for
every one who laid his hands upon its horns, so the sacri-
fice of Jesus pleads for every one who lays his hand on
him. Just as the Lamb, though silent, pleaded effectually
for him who brought it as an offering, so the Lamb of God
pleads for every one who will take him as their offering,
and lay their sins on him.

(2.) He intercedes by presenting himself in our name.
" He appears in the presence of God for us."2 He was
our substitute on earth, and he is our representative in
heaven. Hence God sees us in him, hears us in him, deals
with us in him. By presenting his blood, he obtains for-
giveness for us; but by presenting himself, his infinitely
glorious self, he does far more, — he obtains for us every
thing that belongs to him. Every thing that we say is
heard of God as if he had said it ; every thing that we ask
for is bestowed by the Father as if he had asked it; our
petitions are counted as his petitions; our voice ascends
acceptable in the Father's ears, as if it were the voice of his
beloved Son. Thus entirely does he represent us, and by so
doing plead for us irresistibly. He appears in the presence
of God for us; and by so appearing carries on his mighty
intercession. He invites us to come, and be represented by
him. He sees sinners coming to God upon their own foot-
ing, and he invites them to come on his. He sees men
vainly presenting their prayers before God on the ground
of some personal title of their own, and he asks them no
longer to attempt such folly, but to consent to take him as

' Rev. v. 6. 2 Heb. ix. 24.

10 No. 23. — Salvation to the Uttermost.

their representative, assuring them that if they will but do
so, all his infinite merit and acceptableness with the Father
shall plead for them! O sinners, self-righteous ones,
self-trusting ones, come and be thus represented and inter-
ceded for by him! His holiness will plead infinitely more
for you, than all your unholiness can plead against you.
His glorious righteousness will plead infinitely more for
you than all your miserable unrighteousness can plead
against you. The excellent beauty of his person will be
a far stronger plea in your favour, than all the loathsome
deformity of your own person can be against you!

(3.) He intercedes by pleading for us. When he was on
earth, he thus pleaded, and doubtless he has not ceased to
do the same gracious office in heaven. He pleaded for
Peter, " Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have thee,
that he may sift thee as wheat, but I have prayed for thee
that thy faith fail not."1 Thus he took up Peter's case;
thus he prayed that his faith might be upheld. And as he
did to Peter on earth, so doubtless he does in heaven for
those who come unto God by him. He takes notice of
their case. His eye is always upon them. He sees their
fainting faith. He marks their struggles with unbelief, —
struggles to which no human eye is witness, struggles
maintained in the solitude of their closet, and expressed
only by the tear, the groan, the sigh. He sees when
they would fain come to him, and Satan keeps them back
or casts them down, or whispers malignant doubts; and
seeing all these, he takes their case into his hand and
pleads for them with God. How comforting to believers
to remember this! How encouraging to those who are but
seeking the way to God perhaps in fear and darkness, to see
how ready this divine Intercessor is to take up their case
and plead in their behalf! Again, in the seventeenth chapter
of John we have a specimen of Christ's intercession on
earth, which is well fitted to give us a right idea of what it
must be in heaven. Take such passages as these — " Sanc-
tify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." Again,
" Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me
be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory."2
These are some of Christ's pleadings on earth ; and oh!
how consoling, how animating to think that these are still
his pleadings in heaven ! With such an advocate above,3
what can we fear? Whatever be the feebleness, the imper-
fection of our pleadings here, either for ourselves or others,
his intercession is always perfect and prevailing. And it

i Luke xxii. 31, 3'2. * John xvii. 17 24. 3 1 John ii. 1.

No. 23. — Salvation to the Uttermost. 1 1

is his intercession, that is our confidence and hope. If he
plead for us, who can plead against us? O sinners, come
to him! Come and be pleaded for by this divine interces-
sor. Come put your case into the hands of this divine
advocate! Allow him to plead for you! Do not continue
to manage your own cause. Intrust it to him and all shall
be well.

j (4.) He intercedes by presenting our prayers. It is he
and he only that presents our prayers to the Father ; and
being presented by him they are accepted and answered.
As our High Priest, he both "bears the iniquity of our holy
things," and procures acceptance for them.1 Our prayers
must pass through his hands ere they can reach the Father.
As they leave our lips they are impure and earthly, being
breathed from polluted hearts; but forthwith he takes hold
of them, strips them of their impurities, purges away their
imperfections, and presents them as a perfect offering to
God. The hearts they come from are corrupt and vile; the
desires they contain are cold, lifeless, wandering; the words
in which they are expressed are poor and feeble; each peti-
tion seems to plead against us; yet still, being presented
by him, they are well-pleasing even in the eyes of Him who
cannot look upon iniquity. Hence prayer is likened to
sweet incense, and in heaven the four and twenty elders
have in their hands " golden vials full of odours which are
the prayers of saints.'*2 Thus also Jesus as our High Priest
stands with his golden censer full of incense, to "offer it
with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which
is before the throne."3 Into that censer he calls on us to
put our prayers. He stretches out his hand ; he lets down
that censer to earth : he brings it to our very side ; he asks
us to put in ourprayers! Then he will draw up that censer;
and, fragrant with rich incense, he will present them before
the throne. How apt are we to overlook this! How prone
either to present our prayers without any censer at all, or
to make censers of our own! How apt to look aside from
Jesus, even when looking up to God! How apt to under-
value the efficacy of this divine censer, and to cherish
doubts whether our petitions may find their way safely to
the throne! How apt to make censers of our own, and to
attempt with these to approach the Father! How apt, for
instance, are we to make our acceptance depend upon our
earnestness, and say, " Alas ! we are so cold in prayer, how
can we expect an answer;" or, on the other hand, to congra-
tulate ourselves, and take courage from an opposite state of

« Exod. xxviii. 38. ■ Rev. v. 8. 3 Rev. viii. 3.

12 No. 23 — Salvat'wn to the Uttermost.

feeling, saying, "Ah, we have been earnest, we have had
much enlargement, surely we shall be accepted." What is
all this but just making a censer of our earnestness; forget-
ting that it is not our frame in prayer, but the censer into
which it is put, that secures its acceptance! The most fer-
vent petition that ever rose from earth needs this censer
with its incense, to prevent its being an abomination to
God; and the feeblest cry that ever left a sinner's trem-
bling lips needs no more! O sinners! put in your prayers
into this censer. The High Priest reaches it towards you,
he presents it at your side ; put in your prayers and they
shall be heard! Ye who have never prayed before, bring
your first petition here, and even you are sure of acceptance!
Ye who have been praying in doubt, lodge your petitions
here and cease to doubt. That golden censer is enough
to remove your fears, and give you the full assurance of
faith in drawing near to the mercy seat!

Such then is the great High Priest of our profession!
Such is Jesus! Able to save to the uttermost! Ever liv-
ing to intercede! Mighty in saving — all-prevalent in in-
terceding! How secure, how blessed is the state of those
who have come unto God through him! How great the
encouragement for sinners to come unto God through him!
He is infinitely able and willing to save you! Do not stay
away from him; but come at once, come now, come bold-
ly, come without doubting, come as you are, and he will
save you; he will undertake your cause, and all shall be
well.

Salvation to the uttermost! This is the message
we bring. Salvation for the vilest, the guiltiest, the most
wretched of all. Salvation for every sinner on this side of
hell! None can say their case is too bad, for it is salvation
to the uttermost; and where is the sinner that is beyond
the uttermost — beyond that which God calls the uttermost.
Lost ones, come and be saved! Chief of sinners, come!
Prodigals, rebels, wanderers, come! Whosoever will, let
him come and be saved !

Kelso, February 1843.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso: J. Rutherfurd, Market Place. Edinburgh: John

Johnstone; W. Whyte & Co.; and Charles Zeigler.

London: James Nisbet & Co.

Price 4s. 6d. per 100.

ANDREW JACK, PR1N fEIt, F.DTN'BUEIGH.

No. 24

THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT.

** Thy Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness," Psalm
cxliii. 10.

* The love of the Spirit," Rom. xv. 30.

Nothing can be more necessary for a sinner's peace
and holiness, than his fully knowing the character of that
God with whom he has to do. The more perfectly we be-
come acquainted with him, the more do we joy in him,
and the more are we conformed to his likeness. In his
word God has fully revealed his character. He has there-
in told us what he is. Especially in the living Word, that
is, in Christ, do we learn the character of God. He is the
perfect expression and manifestation of that character.
But then, this character belongs equally to all the three
persons in the Trinity. What is true of one is equally true
of all. " God is holy," and this means that the Father is
holy, the Son is holy, the Spirit is holy. " God is light ;" and
this intimates that the Father is light, the Son is light, the
Spirit is light. " God is love;" and this declares that the
Father is love, the Son is love, the Spirit is love. We are
accustomed to admit this of the Father and the Son ; but
we are less used to consider it as equally applicable to the
Holy Spirit. Thus we have lost sight of the Spirit's love ;
a love as real, as true, as tender, as infinite, as gracious, as
that of the Father and the Son.

We are apt to think of the Spirit as a mere influence,
like the air we breathe, diffusing itself around, and operat-
ing upon us by a vague and indirect process of contact.
So long as we do so, our ideas of the Spirit must be con-
fused and unsatisfactory. Till we realize his •personality,
it is impossible that we can rightly acknowledge him in
any of his divine perfections; more especially his love.
A mere influence cannot be felt as a thing either loving or
loveable. Hence till the Spirit's personality is kept in
view, his distinct and peculiar love cannot be rightly un-
derstood or realized; and the personality of the Spirit's
love must no more be lost sight of, than the personality of
the love of the Father, or the love of the Son.

J. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

No. 24— The Love of the Spirit.

•

Again, even when recognising the Spirit as a person,
we are apt to dwell exclusively on his power, or wisdom,
or holiness, and thereby forget or overlook his love. It is
true we can never magnify too mightily any of his divine
excellencies, yet still we must not allow one to supplant
another. We must not suffer the power or the holiness of
the Spirit to withdraw our eyes from his love, a love which
is as infinite and glorious, as his holiness or his power.

Again, when we acknowledge his grace and condescen-
sion in coming down into this fallen world to fulfil his er-
rand of mercy, we are too prone to think of this merely as
an act of obedience to the Father's will in sending him.
When seen thus alone, it is the Father's love more than the
Spirit's that is recognised. But let us remember that when
he comes into this world and into these souls of ours, it is
not merely because sent by the Father and the Son, but
because he loves to come. It is not merely because he is
pledged in covenant to accomplish the work, but because
he loves to do it. He works not merely because it is his
office to convince, and comfort, and sanctify, but because
he loves to do so. It is love that brings him down from
heaven into a world like ours, — free, unbidden love,
love to the lost, love as amazing and immeasurable as
that of the Son of God, who though he was rich for our
sakes became poor. The Father is said to have loved us
with an everlasting love; so has the Spirit. The Son is
said to have rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth,
and to have had his delights with the sons of men; and
the same may be said of the Spirit. Every fact, or decla-
ration, or promise, that proves the love of God, proves the
love of the Spirit.

Again, we are apt to suppose, that because he is call-
ed emphatically the Holy Spirit, therefore holiness is so
peculiarly his attribute, that it is not proper to ascribe such
peculiar love to him. But there is nothing in this charac-
teristic of holiness to exclude the idea of love. Surely no
one would say that because he is called the Holy Spirit,
the Father or the Son is less holy than he ? If love
therefore be so perfectly consistent with holiness in them,
it cannot be less so in him. There is such a thing as holy
love to the unholy, and it would appear as if this love were
strong and intense in proportion to the holiness of the being
who loves. The Spirit's infinite holiness gives him such a
view of the misery of an unholy soul, as makes him yearn
with compassionate love over such. His infinite holiness
makes him long to see them delivered from their sin, and

No. 24 The Love of the Spirit. 3

made holy as he is holy. Holy love yearns over the un-
holy. Holy love longs to save the lost. Holy love strives
to deliver the unholy from the awful misery of a sinful
state, and to replace them in the blessedness of divine
purity, and the perfect image of God.

Again, we may imagine that it is the work of Christ, as
the sacrifice for sin, that has brought the Spirit down to
us. Now, it is true, that had it not been for that work,
the Holy Spirit could not have come down to dwell amid
unholy beings. Had the work of Christ not satisfied
divine righteousness, and glorified the holiness of the God-
head, even when dealing with sinners, the Spirit never
could have come down at all. Yet the work of Christ did
not create or cause the Spirit's love. There was love in
his heart to sinners before, just as it was in the Father's,
but then it was pent up; it could not flow out till this
righteous way was opened, this holy channel prepared
through which it might flow freely down to us, unstraitened
and unobstructed. The Holy Spirit could have no dealings
with an unholy soul, till the blood had been shed; still
there was love in him before, — love which led him joyfully
to undertake his part in redeeming man, love which led
him to prepare a body for the Son of God, on which our
sins might be laid. The Father so loved the world as to
give his Son. The Son so loved the world as to give him-
self. And the Spirit so loved the world as freely and glad-
ly to come down into it, and there carry on his gracious
work in the sinner's soul.

But let us consider some of the proofs of the Spirit's
love. These are manifold. " If we would speak of them,
they are more than can be numbered." How precious are
his thoughts to us. " How great is his goodness, how
great is his beauty." Let us attend to a few of them.
And may he be our gracious Teacher in unfolding the
things concerning himself.

I. The Spirits love shows itself in his names.— He is
called by many names, and set forth to us by many figures
expressive of his tenderness and love. He is called " the
good Spirit,"1 thereby declaring to us his loving-kindness
and compassion. He is called the " Spirit of grace/'2 to
show us that he is merciful and gracious, full of the same
free love to sinners as the Father and the Son. He is
called the " Spirit of adoption,"3 because he imprints on

1 Neh. ix. 20; Psal. cxliii. 10. * Heb. x. 29.

* Rom. viii. 15; Gal. iv. 5, 6.

4 No. 24 — The Love of the Spirit.

us his own divine affections and sympathies, revealing to us
the Father's mind and heart, creating in us all filial confi-
dence, and teaching us to say, Abba, Father. He is called
the "Spirit of liberty,"1 because he undoes our heavy
yoke, and breaks our grievous fetters, possessing our whole
souls with the blessed consciousness of divine liberty, de-
livering us from the bondage of fear and sin, making us
"free indeed." He is called "the Comforter;"2 "the hel-
per of our infirmities,"3 " the earnest of the inheritance,"4
" the Spirit of love."5 Then, again, he is set forth to us
under the figure of "rain and dew,"6 mild and refreshing;
as the " oil of gladness,"7 because of the overflowing joy
which he imparts; as a dove,8 because of his being so
gentle, so loving, so peaceful, so tender, so easily wounded
and grieved away. Such are some of the Spirit's names
of love ! They are poor indeed, and feeble to express the
vast reality of deep love that is in his bosom. Yet they
do give us sweet and precious glimpses of his tender love.

II. The Spirit's love shows itself in the Scriptures which
he himself has written. — The word came to us not from
man, neither by man, but holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost. So that in these Scrip-
tures it is especially the Spirit that speaks to us. It was
he who wrote them. It is his language that they speak.
It is his mind they breathe. It is his feelings that they
embody. A man's writings show us his mind and heart:
so do the Scriptures reveal to us the mind of the Holy
Spirit. And what is the feeling that pervades them?-*-It
is love. What is their tone? — It is gentleness and kind-
ness. He who wrote them must have had a heart over-
flowing with love. No one can mistake the feeling which
pervades the whole from beginning to end. They breathe
the tenderest compassion throughout. Love to sinners
shines out in every page, and pours itself along every line.
All is holiness, yet all is love. The words are the words
of truth and wisdom, yet they are the words of love. Ha-
tred of sin is stamped every where, yet love to the sinner
is as deeply engraven on every leaf. Every invitation is
the expression of the Spirit's love. Every call is the call
of the Spirit's love. Every word of grace is from- the
Spirit's love. Every word of comfort is from the Spirit's
love. All the words in season for the weary are from the
Spirit's love. It is he who saith, " Come, now, and let us

1 2 Cor. iii. 1 7. f John xiv. 16. * Rom. viii. 26.

* Eph. i. 13. 6 2 Tim. i. 7. 6 Psal. lxviii. 9. Hos. xiv. 15.

* I'sal. xiv. 7. 8 Matt. iii. 16.

No. 24 The Love of the Spirit. 5

reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." It is he who
saith, ""Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. '
It is he who saith, "thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. '
It is he who saith, " return ye backsliding children." It
is he who saith to the weak, " be strong,"— to the sorrow-
ful, " rejoice," — to the troubled, " comfort ye, comfort ye,
my people." Oh how full is all Scripture of the love of
the Spirit! It breathes like sweet fragrance over every
page. It is like ointment poured forth. Were we to read
Scripture in this light, how much more sweetness might
we find in it. How much more of winning attractive
power should we discover in all its words. We have
often wondered at their weight and wisdom, but this
would teach us to wonder still more at their love. This
would take away all seeming coldness or repetition. It
would fill every word with a meaning of love unknown,
unimagined before. We should thus get fuller access to
the mind of the Spirit; — a deeper insight into his gracious
heart. We should learn not merely the grace contained
in a promise, but we should be led more fully into the
heart of the promiser. And we should thus see how the
Spirit's love gives vent to itself in these sacred pages. The
Father's love found its vent in his gift of the Son. The
Son's love found vent to itself in the offering up of himself
as our sin-bearer. But nowhere does the love of the
Spirit get such full vent to itself as in the Scriptures which
he has inspired. It is here that he pours forth all the trea-
sures of his love ; — love to the lost, the guilty, the wan-
derer, the backslider, the rebel, — love without measure
and without change, — love that is not regulated according
to the worthiness of the object loved, or the amount of
love expected in return, but love that embraces the un-
worthy, and those who requite nothing but hatred for
love, enmity for friendship. " He that hath an ear let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."1

III. The Spirits love shows itself in his anointing the
Son of God for his icork of love. — The " oil. of gladness''
with which he was anointed, was from the Spirit of love.
It was by this loving Spirit that he was anointed to "preach
the gospel to the poor."2 It was by this loving Spirit that
he was " sent to heal the broken hearted, to preach de-
liverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised ; to preach

1 Rev. ii. 7, 11. * Luke i v. 18.

o No. 24 — The Love of the Spirit

the acceptable year of the Lord; to give.beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness."1 It was by the anointing of this
same Spirit that he was fitted for the gracious office to
which he was appointed of the Father, as described to us
in another passage of the same prophet. Speaking of him
as his servant, his chosen one on whom his soul delighted,
the Father says, #'I have put my Spirit upon him." And
what is the result? " A bruised reed shall he not break,
and the smoking flax shall he not quench."2 It was by
the anointing of the same Spirit that he has " the tongue
of the learned that he should know to speak a word in
season to him that is weary." All the heavenly gifts and
graces of the Redeemer's character are declared to be
wrought in him by the Holy Spirit, with which he was
filled " without measure." His especial fitness and fulness
for his mighty work of love are ascribed to the indwelling
of the Spirit of love. Thus was he fairer than the chil-
dren of men ; grace was poured into his lips ;3 and hence
never man spake like him, and men wondered at " the

gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." As
it was by the coming down and overshadowing of the
Holy Spirit, that he was formed in the womb, perfectly
holy in soul and body, so it was by the indwelling of the
same holy and loving Spirit that he was anointed for his
work of love; and it was " through the eternal Spirit that
he. in love offered himself without spot to God" for us.4
Thus the grace of Christ teaches us the grace of the Spirit.
In the love of the Saviour there shines forth the love of
the Spirit.

Besides, what love to sinners is there manifested by
the Spirit in his thus preparing the Son of God as the sac-
rifice for sin ! It was love in the Father to send the Son, —
to consent that he should suffer so much for us. But is
there not the same deep love in the Holy Spirit, to under-
take such a work as that of preparing a lamb for the burnt-
offering, — binding the victim for the slaughter! What but
infinite love is this? It was in one sense indeed a
glorious work, for it was preparing a vessel for containing
the full glory of Godhead in the form of a man. Yet it
was an awful work to prepare that well-beloved Son for
bearing all the divine wrath against sin, — presenting him,
if we may so speak, to the Father, to receive those

• Isaiah lxi. 3. « Isaiah xlii. 1, 3. 3 Psal. xlv. 2.

♦ Heb. ix. 14.

No. 24.— The Love of the Spirit. 7

/ials of wrath which should have been poured out on us!
What deep love is here !

And what condescending love to sinners, to frame so
many types and figures under the law, by which to show
orth the Saviour's character and work. It was by the Spi-
rit that Bezaleel and Aholiab were fitted" for making the
various utensils of the tabernacle.1 It was by the same
Spirit that all the vessels of service were devised, and all
the ceremonies ordained by which the fulness of a Savi-
our's work was to be shown forth to sinners; by which the
ignorant were to be taught the knowledge of redemption.
What love is thus manifested in all the pains thus taken by
the divine Spirit to leave nothing, however minute, untold,
by which the sinner's eye might be directed to the Lamb
of God !

And again what love was it in the Spirit, to record in
the Book of Psalms the tears and groans of the Son of God!
— to preserve on record the hidden life, the secret feelings of
the Man of Sorrows, when bearing the Father's wrath for us !
How painful is it for us to record the agonies of a beloved
friend. We would rather forget them. Yet for love's
sake we might be induced to record them for the benefit of
others. So is it with the Spirit. For love's sake he has
put the tears of the Son of God " into his bottle,"2 and told
us " all his wanderings."3 Had it not been for the Spirit's
love in writing such a record as this, we should never have
known the depths of that sorrow that was in the Redeem-
er's heart. What love then does the saddest word in all
tfiat book show forth, love* not only of the Saviour, but of
he Spirit tool

And then, what love to testify of Christ and his finished
work! This is his especial office now. He testifies of
Christ. He glorifies Christ. He takes of the things of
Christ and shows them to us.4 And all this is not only
aut of his love to the Saviour, but out of his love to the
sinner. Not merely because he delights to see Jesus
honoured, but because he longs to see the sinner saved !
How deep, how vast, how free must be this " love of the
Spirit."

IV. The Spirit's love shows itself by his work in the hearts
of sinners. — Now that the work of Jesus has been finished,
he comes forth to do his office of love. And though he be
the " holy one," he yet refuses not to work in the hearts of
the unholy. He comes to us. He speaks to us. He strives

Exod. xxxi. 3. l Psalm lvi. 8. » Ibid. 4 John xvi. 13, 14.

8 No. 24— The Love of the Spirit.

with us. He draws us. He awakens us. He convinces
us of sin. He quickens us. He opens our eyes. He leads
us to the blood of sprinkling. Though he is resisted,
grieved, vexed, quenched, he does not leave us, nor cease
his efforts. For years he continues striving with the soul
in his infinite love, unwilling to give it up, unwilling that
it should perish. What hatred he meets with, yet he bears
it all! What coldness and contempt he meets with, yet he
bears it all! He would fain obtain entrance into the soul. He
would fain deliver the captive one. And in seeking to
accomplish this, he submits to every form of resistance, and
enmity, and scorn. In his love he bears it all, rather than
lose the sinner ! And all this, though he be " the holy one,"
though his name is emphatically " the Holy Spirit."
Sinner, think what his love must be ! Think what his long-
suffering must be ! To strive so earnestly and so long in
seeking to win us to life ! To cherish so fondly a serpent's
brood! To deal so graciously with souls*so full of hatred!
So condescendingly, so patiently to continue his strivings,
notwithstanding all our perversity and stubbornness ! So
graciously to seek to draw our hearts to the love of God,
teaching us to love, who by nature know only how to hate !
" Herein is love, net that we loved Him but that he loved
us."

V. The Spirit's love shows itself by his work in the hearts
of saints. — It is not less marvellous in the latter than in the
former. True he has won the soul. He has found entrance,
and taken up his abode in it. Yet still how much has he to
bear ! How much has he still to encounter of resistance,
and coldness, and unbelief, which are not the less grievous
because the heart in which they are manifested is one which
qe can call his own. No coldness however, can chill his
love ; no unbelief can make him cease his workings. He
meets with daily repulses, yet he ceases not. So unchan-
geable, so unquenchable is his love. Truly " many waters
cannot quench it, neither can the floods drown it." Think
what he does for saints. He leads them into all truth.1
He sheds the love of God abroad in their hearts.2 He en-
ables them to persevere.3 He mortifies corruption in them.4
He fills them with joy.5 He reveals the things of Christ.6
He helps their infirmities in prayer.7 In the discharge of
this last duty he is spoken of as the Intercessor, He
intercedes within, just as Christ intercedes without. He
stands at our side to prompt us, to suggest our prayers, to

1 John xvi. 13. 2 Rom. v. 5. * 2Tim. i. 14. * Rom. viii. 13.

• 1 Thess. i. 6. 6 John xvi. 14. 7 Rom. viii. 26.

No. 24 The Love of the Spirit 9

draw forth our desires. Yea, he comes into us ; he takes
possession of our heart ; he identifies himself entirely with
us, and thus he mingles his voice with ours, his cries with
ours. He makes our organs of feeling and speech the in-
strument for expressing His own desires, making His
prayers to seem as ours, — seconding and enforcing our
feeble petitions with his mighty cries. And often when we
are praying in our poor imperfect way, in wandering and
weakness, he comes in and lifts us upland kindles the
flame within. Then it is as if we were overpowered with the
intensity of our longings, our whole soul goes up in vehe-
ment intercession, till human language gives way beneath
the pressure, and nought remains but the unutterable groan.
How vast his love, thus to put forth such power in us, in
spite of all our continued resistance, and unbelief, and sin !

Let us learn then to love him in return for this love of
his, so marvellous, so free. Surely he has claims upon our
love, for having loved so much. So long-suffering, so lov-
ing, so gentle! Let us no more grieve him, no more dis-
appoint him. Let us allow him to take us by the hand
and lead us onward, whithersoever he will. He will show
us the path of life. He will be our strength in weakness,
our light in darkness, our joy in sorrow, our comforter in
the day of trouble. Let us not thrust away his hand, or
meet his love with coldness. Whom have we on earth as
our guide in the Saviour's absence, until he come again,
but the Spirit the comforter? " Grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."1

Let anxious souls lay these things to heart. To them
the doctrine of the Spirit's love ought to be unspeakably
precious. He who is working in them is love. He who is
convincing them of sin is love. He who is seeking to
draw them to God is love. It is a hand of power that is
at work in them, but it is also a hand of love. This phy-
sician is as loving as he is skilful. Whence then so many
doubts, so many hard thoughts of God? Will the Father
who so loved us as to give his Son for us, turn his ear
away from us. Will the Son who so loved us as to die
for us, cast us out? Will that loving Spirit who has so
long been striving with us, and so long seeking to draw us
to God, will he overlook our suit, or deal unkindly with us
now? How can they who know his name fail to put their
trust in him? How can they who understand his love sus-
pect his willingness to bless? Did we but know the fall

1 Eph. iv. 30.

10 No. 24— The Love of the Spirit.

character of that God with whom we have to do, the Father
as love, the Son as love, the Spirit as love, should not our
doubting cease? You mourn over an impenitent heart.
Does the Spirit not love to soften it? You complain of
inward deadness and insensibility. Does he not love to
make you feel? You cry out because of unbelief. Does
he not love to deliver you from that evil heart of unbelief?
You tell us of the power the wrorld has over you. Does
he not love to make you spiritually minded, to set your
affections on things above? You complain of your ignor-
ance. Does he not love to teach you? You say you
realize so little of the glory of Christ and his righteousness.
Does he not love to remove the veil from your eyes, to
show you the glory of the Saviour, to unfold to you in all
its infinite dimensions and spotless purity, the robe of his
perfect righteousness? You mourn because you have so
little of his indwelling life and power, quickening and
sanctifying you. Does he not love to come in all his ful-
ness ; at the same time showing you, that it is not his own
work in you, but the Redeemer's work for you, that is your
peace and hope. You complain that you have so little of
childlike confidence and love towards your heavenly Fa-
ther. Does he not love to pour that love into you, en-
larging your straitened souls, unloosing your stammering
tongue, and teaching you with childlike lip and heart to
say, Abba Father.

You tell us of your doubts and fears ; and you tell us
moreover that these arise, not from any suspicion of God's
willingness to save you, but from want of evidence as to
your own progress in the divine life. Now in opposition
to this we assure you that your doubts do arise from not
understanding the grace of God. Did you but know the
meaning of grace, your fears would cease. And it is this
that the Spirit in his love is seeking to teach you. He
wants to show you that there is such a thing as free love to
sinners. And for this purpose he is seeking to strip you of
every plea for any thing good about you. His object is to
teach you that there is not one single thought in you, but
what God condemns. Then he shows you that grace takes
for granted that you are utterly ruined, and that if it did
not do so it would not be grace at all. If it supposed that
there was any good thing in you, it would not be grace.
If it supposed that before it could reach your case, some
good thing must be wrought in you by God, it would not
be grace. If it supposed that God did not meet you on
the spot where you are, but asked you to make some ad-

No. 24 The Love of the Spirit. 11

vances towards him ere you could be assured of his mercy,
it would not be grace at all. It is the especial work of
the Spirit to make the sinner understand what free grace
really is, and it is in teaching this that he meets the
strongest resistance from man. It is on this point he finds
the sinner most unteachable. He can believe almost any-
thing sooner than grace. He discredits God's most solemn
and explicit assurances of his free love. He insists on
qualifying himself for receiving God's love, and till he has
ascertained that he is properly qualified, he persists in
doubting, nay, calls it presumption to do otherwise. He
makes a merit of his unbelief and calls it humility. He
refuses to go boldly to a throne of grace till he has more
of the Spirit's witness within himself, to entitle him to do
so. How sad, how awful thus to frustrate the grace of
God ! How perverse and wicked to turn the Spirit's work
within you into an instrument for frustrating that grace !
The Spirit's object is to show you the free love of God;
and you say that you must wait till you are conscious
of that work in you, ere you are entitled to believe that
love. The Spirit's object is to show you that grace meets
you where you are; and yet you say you are waiting till
you are conscious of making advances towards that grace,
before you can believe it. The Spirit's object is to teach
you that grace presupposes nothing but what is bad in you;
yet you say you are waiting for some evidence of good be-
fore you will believe it. How dishonouring to the grace
of God is this! How insulting to the Holy Spirit is this!
What perversity and unteachableness does this manifest
in you. Yet what deep love does it display in him, still to
go on in his loving work of teaching you the free grace of
God. He sees how prone you are to disbelieve this, and
therefore he strives to engrave it upon you. He sees how
prone you are to seek for something good in yourselves be-
fore you will believe it possible that God can be gracious to
you; and therefore he strives to show you that there is no
good thing about you, that grace takes this for granted,
and that if you could discern anything good in you, you
would not be a fit object for grace at all. He sees how
prone you are to suspect God, to think evil and hard
thoughts of God; and hence his object is to lead you to
think well of him, to banish your hard thoughts of him,
and to teach you all the freeness and richness of his grace.
Such is the Spirit's teaching. Such is the Spirit's love
Blessed teaching! Gracious love! Can the most disquieted
spirit refuse consolation after this? Where is there room

12 No. 24 — The Love of the Spirit.

for doubting? Is it not excluded? And excluded by the
same law that excludes works and introduces grace in the
matter of acceptance with God.

Let careless sinners tremble. " My Spirit shall not al-
ways strive." What if he should soon cease to strive with
you ? what if he should turn away from you who have so
often turned away from him? what if he should leave you
alone in your impenitence ? Then what a wilderness, what a
hell would your soul become ? It would be soon ripe for
the devouring fire, like thorns dry and ready for the burn-
ing. Satan would come in and occupy it all, seizing on
you as an easy prey. What if you should never tiave an-
other conviction, another desire awakened within you, but
be left to reap what you have sown ? The Spirit might
well leave you. You have done nothing but grieved him
all the days of your life. You have requited his love
with hatred. You are doing so still. You cannot bear his
workings within you. You try to shake them all off; might
he not well leave you to perish in your sins ?

Quench not the Spirit. You quench him in many
ways, — you quench him with your unbelief, — you quench
him with the world, — you quench him with your folly, —
you quench him with your lusts, — you quench him with
your idle company. How awful ! You quench your only
light ! You strive to put it out, and in doing so to make
your destruction sure. For without it how can you find
your way to heaven. Oh ! beware of " doing despite to
the Spirit of grace." Beware of disbelieving his testimony
to the Saviour ; beware of denying his love ; beware of re-
sisting his power !

Quench not the Spirit. For if you quench him, then
what remains for you here but darkness; and what remains
for you hereafter but the blackness of darkness for ever ?

Kelso, April 1843.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso: Published by J. Rutherfurd.

Edinburgh: J. Johnstone, W. Whyte & Co., and C Ziegler.

London: James Nisbet & Co.

Price 4s. 6d. per 100.

ANDREW JACK, PRINTER, EDINBURGH.

No. 26.

RIGHTEOUS RECONCILIATION.

" He hath made Him to be sin for us, who hnew no sin, that we might
be made for become J the righteousness of God in Him" — 2 Cor. v. 2 1 .

" Be reconciled to God" was the Apostle's message
wherever he came. To Jew and Gentile, Barbarian and
Scythian, bond and free, to all alike he proclaimed it. As
though God did beseech them by him, he prayed them in
Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. This is God's mes-
sage still to an alienated world. He is still as gracious
and as sincere in his proposals of peace and friendship.
He still stretches out his hand all day long, to a disobe-
dient and gainsaying people.1 He asks us and entreats us
to become his friends, telling us how willing he is to forget
all our past enmity, and to remember our iniquities no
more. Be thou reconciled to me, is God's own special
entreaty to every sinner.

These proposals of peace are not mere well-sounding
words. There is nothing indistinct or uncertain about
them. They rest upon a sure foundation ;' a foundation
deep and broad, laid by God himself, such as to assure us
that the reconciliation proposed is as righteous as it is real.
It is founded upon righteousness. In it there is no com-
promise of justice. The law is not annulled, but magnified
and made honourable. The grounds of quarrel and aliena-
tion have been removed, and a solid foundation for agree-
ment laid; so that it is not merely a gracious, but a right-
eous thing in God to be reconciled to sinners, to love,
to pardon, to save, to bless them. Hence there is no
possibility of this agreement giving way. The controversy
between the sinner and God, once settled, is settled for
ever. And these are the grounds of this settlement, " he
hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we
might be the righteousness of God in Him." Thus we
learn that God becomes reconciled to us, not by his passing
by sin with indifference as if it were a trifle, but by his
laying it on another, condemning it in another, punishing
it in another, and so removing it clean away from between
us and Him, never again to be the ground of quarrel, or

1 Isaiah lxv. 2. Rom. x. 21.
J. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 26. — Righteous Reconciliation.

the occasion of separation between us. Thus there is not
merely grace for us, but righteous grace, grace that con-
demns the sin, yet justifies the sinner, grace that pardons
the transgressor, and yet magnifies the law he has trans-
gressed. Thus God, who before was righteously our ene-
my, can now be as righteously our friend. That righteous-
ness which was against us, is now upon our side. It is a
righteous peace, a righteous reconciliation, a righteous
settlement of the controversy between us and God, which is
now proclaimed to us through the finished work of the divine
substitute, the mighty sin-bearer, the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.

I. Observe the author of the reconciliation. — It is God
he Father. He hath made him to be sin for us. It is in

the infinite bosom of the Father that it had its origin. It
is from his eternal love that it flowed forth. " Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us."1 The
proposals of reconciliation came from him, not from us.
He thought on us ere ever we thought on him. He sought
our friendship when we thought not of seeking his. He form-
ed the purpose, devised the plan, prepared the way, accom-
plished the end ! And all at an infinite cost ! It was He
who saw us in our blood, and said to us " live." It was
he who in the fulness of a love which is absolutely without
measure, said, " I will reconcile them to myself, I will re-
move the ground of separation, I will level the mountain-
barrier, I will suffer nothing to stand in the way of this my
purpose of love, I will love them freely, I will receive them
graciously."

II. The instrument of effecting the reconciliation.— -The
Son of the Father, — his holy Son, who knew no sin j in
whom there was no spot, no stain, no shadow of iniquity.
He was " holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,"
infinitely pure, and immeasurably removed from sin. He
was " acquainted with grief," but not with sin. He was
holy from eternity as the everlasting Son of the Father.
He was holy as Immanuel, God with us — holy in his con-
ception, holy in his birth, holy in his life, holy in his
death, — altogether holy, tempted like as we are, yet with-
out sin.2 No language of man can express his infinite ho-
liness, his irreconcilable opposition to all iniquity, whether
as God or as man. In him dwelt all the infinite holiness
of Godhead, and all the perfect holiness of the unfallen
creature. It was his infinite holiness that fitted him for
being the instrument of reconciliation. By none but an
infinitely holy Being could sin be borne and put away.

' ] John iv. 10. s Heb. iv. 15.

No. 26. — Righteous Reconciliation. 3

It was utterly impossible that any less holy being could
accomplish this. And it was thus that God set up the
highest possible standard of holiness in the very per-
son of him who was bearing sin, that sin and holiness
might be more strongly contrasted with each other, the
hatefulness of the one exposed to view, and the beauty of
the other set forth in its aspect of most loveable perfection.
It was thus, too, that God declared his love of holiness
and his hatred of sin, by means of that very instrument
through which he was reconciling the sinner to himself.

III. The manner of accomplishing this. — He made the
sinless one to be sin for us. It was thus that he laid the
foundation of our peace. He did this, not by passing by
sin or treating it with indifference, but by placing another
in our room to bear its penalty, and that other his own
holy well-beloved Son. " He made him to be sin for us."

1. He was made sin. — This cannot mean that he was in
any sense or degree sinful, for he knew no sin. Yet it
means more than merely that he was made a sin-oifering.
This would not be giving the word its natural meaning, it
would weaken the expression, it would destroy the contrast
between his being made sin, and our being made righteous-
ness. Doubtless he was a sin-offering, a trespass- offering,
a burnt-offering. He was all offerings in one, the sum
and antitype of all. Yet this does not exhaust the mean-
ing. The meaning evidently is, that God dealt with him
as if he were really a sinner, such as we are. He treated
him as if all iniquity was centred in him. The Lord laid
on him the iniquity of us all. He was clothed with our
guilt. He bore the burden of our iniquities. He was
dealt with as if under the curse ; he was made a curse for
us. He received upon his head the vials of the Father's
wrath. He drank the cup of trembling which is the sinner's
portion. In all respects the Father dealt with him as guil-
ty of our transgressions. "He made him to be sin."

2. He was made sin for us. — He was delivered for our
offences, and raised again for our justification.1 He suffer-
ed for sins, the just for the unjust.2 He bore our sins in
his own body on the tree. He was treated as a sinner,
because he stood as our sin-bearer, our scape-goat, our
substitute, our surety. Our guilt, our curse, our chastise-
ment, were all transferred from us to him. Our debts and
responsibilities were all devolved on him. He met the
law in all its claims, and satisfied them for us. He
came under obedience to the law in all its duties, and ful-
filled it for us. It was in our room and as our representa-

1 Rom. iv. 25. * 1 Pet. iii. IS.

4 No. 26. — Righteous Reconciliation.

tive that he acted, obeyed, suffered, and died. He bore
our sins that we might not bear them; the chastisement of
our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.
All this has been done. It is finished. The sin-bearer has
accomplished the work which the Father gave him to do.

IV. The blessed consequences of this; that we might be
made, or, simply and literally, that we might be the right-
eousness of God in him. By Christ's bearing wrath for us
we are delivered from wrath, and receive forgiveness. But
this is not all. Through him we are accepted before God.
Through him we are made righteous; nay, divinely right-
eous, obtaining " the righteousness of God in him." By this
exchange between the sinner and the Saviour we get all
that is his, and he takes all that is ours. We not merely
get a righteousness, but God's own righteousness, a right-
eousness divinely perfect, divinely fair, divinely precious,
divinely glorious. God saw in Christ all our guilt, and he
sees in us all his righteousness. He saw in him all our
unworthiness: he sees in us all his worthiness. He entire-
ly beholds us in this light. He ceases to see in us any
thing else than Christ's perfection ; and hence we are
spoken of as actually being the righteousness of God in him.
It would have been much to have given us what Adam
had before he fell. It would have been more to have
bestowed on us an angel's righteousness. It would have
been more still to have clothed us with an archangel's
beauty and glory; but he has gone beyond all this — infi-
nitely beyond it all! He has bestowed on us divine glory
and beauty; nothing less than the righteousness of his own
eternal Son! He looks on us in him, blesses us in him,
loves us in him, and will hereafter glorify and reward us in
him. We are " complete in him."1 It is not said we shall
be, but we are complete! Complete in his completeness,
righteous in his righteousness, comely in his comeliness,
perfect in his perfection. " Thou art all fair, my love,
there is no spot in thee."2 It is our connection with him
through believing that gives us this completeness in the
Father's eyes. To the end of our earthly course we an;
incomplete in ourselves; yet from the moment we believed
we became complete in him. Paul refers to the same
high standing when he speaks of being " found in him,"3
and explains this as meaning, not " having his own right-
eousness," but " the righteousness of God." Being " found
in him," then, is being regarded by God according to what
is in him, and not according to what is in us. Here self-
righteousness stumbles, and suggests a thousand doubts

1 1 Col. ii. 10. » Song iv. 7. * Phil. iii. 9.

No. 26. — Righteous Reconciliation. 5

and perplexities. It says, were I more holy, more peni-
tent, more earnest, more prayerful, had I more evidences
of the Spirit's work in me, I could be satisfied. Now, what
is this but seeking to be found, not in him, but in your
own holiness, or penitence, or prayers, or graces. What is
it but saying, God cannot look upon me as righteous in
Christ, except I have something of my own in addition, to
recommend me to his favour. If God is to treat us in any
measure according to what we are in respect of holiness, or
grace, or love, then he must cease to look upon us in the
face of his anointed Son. We must either be wholly
found in Christ, or not at all. We must either be dealt
with wholly according to what he is, or wholly according
to what we are. There must be no mingling of the two, —
no adding of the Spirit's work to complete the work of
Christ as our righteousness before God.

All this simply in consequence of our connection with
Jesus! All this righteousness, this acceptance, this com-
pleteness, simply as belonging to him! But what forms
this connection between the sinner and the Saviour? How
is the exchange accomplished? What is the link that
binds us to this righteousness, as our sins were bound to
him, so that we get all its benefits. We answer, it is
written, " Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
every one that believeth."1 Again it is written, " To him
that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."2 Again
it is written, " We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold
the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end."3
It is our believing, then, that forms the connection between
us and Christ, not our working, or our feeling, or our
deserving. When the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us he
does not so work in us as to give us something in ourselves
to rest on, — something to prepare us for receiving the
righteousness of Christ. He opens our eyes and shows us
the glory of the Saviour, so that thereby we are wholly led
away from ourselves to him. That which he shows us in
Jesus is what we rest on, not that which he works in us;
so that as soon as he shows us Jesus, straightway we are
irresistibly drawn to him. We see how altogether suitable
he is, — how excellent is the way of being saved through
him,-^how complete the provision made for our acceptance
with the Father, and believing we have life through his
name. His mantle is thrown over us, and his beauty
covers all our deformity. We become the righteousness
of God in him. Thus, in point of acceptance with God,

1 Rora. x. 4. J Rom. iv. 5. * Heb. iii. 14.

6 No. 26. — Righteous Reconciliation.

there is no difference between one believer and another, or
between the same believer at the beginning and at the end
of his career, just as in respect of condemnation, there is no
difference between one sinner and another. So soon as we
believe we are entirely justified, and stand " accepted in the
beloved." The question is not, how far on are you in the life
of faith, but are you believing at all? Is Jesus every thing to
you for pardon and acceptance? All turns on the one point
of owning him to be every thing, — saying amen to the Father's
testimony regarding him. Then " He of God is made unto
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."1
Such are the grounds on which God's message of recon-
ciliation is founded. Without these, to have spoken of re-
storation to God's favour, would have been saying peace,
peace, when there was no peace. But with these we can
say, peace, peace to the sinner when there is peace.2
Grace can flow freely forth now, because righteousness
has had its due. On this footing it is, that God is now
sending abroad his proposals of friendship to us. He
stretches out his hand to all sinners entreating them to be
at peace with him, and telling them that there is nothing
now to prevent . a lasting friendship being established be-
tween him and them. God's gracious heart is now pouring
itself down upon this guilty world of ours in a full stream
of love, through this righteous channel. It is this that en-
ables God to meet the sinner just as he is and just where
he stands. And it is because of this righteous provision
for peace between the world and God, that we go forth to
tell men of God's gracious mind regarding them, and his
proposals of friendship to them. It is because of this that
we are enabled to go up to every man and say personally
to him, " be reconciled to God."

1. Be reconciled to God, for see how he hates sin. — Be-
fore he could pardon it, he must lay it on his own Son, and
when laid on him it must be punished in him. He must
bear the infinite wrath of God against iniquity. How in-
finitely he must hate sin,— how certainly and swiftly will
he avenge it ! In clinging to sin you are clinging to that
abominable thing which he hates, and on which his terrible
vengeance is about to descend.

2. Be reconciled to God, for see how earnestly he seeks
to be reconciled. — What infinite pains he has taken to se-
cure this ! At what a cost he accomplished it ! If he had
not been in earnest about this, would he have parted with
his own Son ? Would he have bruised him and put him to
grief and shame ? Would he have emptied the vials of his

1 1 Cor. i. 30. * Jer. vi. 14.

No. 26. — Righteous Reconciliation. 7

wrath on him ? Would he have refused to let the cup of
agony pass from his holy lips ? How much he must have
been bent on reconciliation, when he could consent to all
this, rather than that we should remain unreconciled I How
sincere and true must his entreaties of reconciliation be !

3. Be reconciled to God, for see what a righteous recon-
ciliation this is.' — Its foundations are laid on righteousness,
and therefore they are immoveable. You cannot say, we
are not sure whether it is a real reconciliation, or whether
it will prove lasting. It is righteous, and therefore it is
real, and sure5 and lasting. What can ever occur to break
up a friendship founded upon righteousness ? What can
ever renew the breach which has thus been healed, or se-
ver the golden link by which the soul is inseparably bound
to God ?

4. Be reconciled, for see me blessed effects of this. — It
puts you in possession of such mighty blessings. It accom-
plishes such a glorious exchange between Christ and your
soul. It clothes you with raiment so divine. It provides
for you such a righteousness, so spotless, so precious, so di-
vinely perfect : better than Adam's, more excellent than
that of angels, — the very righteousness of God ! What a
dignity, what a glory is the portion of believers! Not
merely to be restored to what we lost in Adam, but to a
glory far brighter, an inheritance far richer, a crown far
more resplendent ! To be exalted above angels, and plac-
ed upon the very throne of God's eternal Son. " This is
the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righte-
ousness is of me, saith the Lord."1

5. Be reconciled, for learn the awful consequences of
remaining unreconciled. — If unreconciled, then are you
still enemies, unrighteous, condemned, children of wrath,
bearing your own sin and sinking under its weight to the
lowest hell. No removal of the curse for you ! No bear-
ing of the wrath for you ! No deliverance from the second
death ! Great is the inheritance of the saints in light, so
great shall be your inheritance of darkness. Souls saved
by grace are made heirs of an infinite glory and blessed-
ness,— so you who reject this grace must be heirs of infi-
nite shame and woe. Ransomed souls in heaven are raised
far above angels, — so you who remain unreconciled must
go down to a place in hell far lower than the devils. Yours
must be the place in hell — lower than Sodom and Gomor-
rha, lower than Tyre and Sidon, lower even than Chorazin
and Bethsaida, — for you have rejected the great salvation
in a way such as no devil ever could do, and such as none

1 Isaiah liv. 17.

8 No. 26. — Righteous Reconciliation,

of these guilty cities ever did. O dreadful doom of unre-
conciled sinners ! The lowest place in hell ; the very
" blackness of darkness," in a region where all is night !

Be reconciled then, for now is the accepted time and the
day of salvation. " This is the acceptable year of the
Lord."1 " The day of vengeance ist a hand." " Agree with
thine adversary quickly, ere the day of reckoning arrive."
Be reconciled, for time is short, days and years are flying
swiftly on, — eternity is at hand. You may soon be beyond
the region where it is possible for a sinner to be reconciled.
Hope will soon be exchanged for despair. The possibility
of being saved will soon pass into the utter and awful cer-
tainty that you are lost, for ever lost ! Be reconciled, for
days of darkness are near. The last days are already
coming into view, if indeed we have not already entered
on them. The time of fearful tribulation is approaching,
and what unreconciled soul will be able to abide it. Who
but a child of light will be able to make his way onward
in those days of utter darkness. " Give glory to the Lord
your God before he cause darkness, and before your feet
stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for
light he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross
darkness."2 Be reconciled to God, for the coming of the
Lord draweth nigh ! This world's history is rapidly nearing
its close. It will not be long till the bridegroom come and
the door be shut ! It will not be long till the judge de-
scend and summon you to his bar. Jesus has long de-
layed his coming, out of long-suffering love to a rebel-
lious world, but he will not always delay it. He will come
at length. How soon I know not. It may be very soon.
There is nothing that man knows of between us and his
coming. It may be at the very door ! His chariot may
be already on its way. O then be reconciled to God !
" Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and ye perish from the way,
when once his wrath is kindled but a little."

1 Luke iv. 19; Is. lxi.2. 8 Jer. xiii. 16.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso : J. Rutherfurd, Market Place.
Edinburgh : J. Johnstone, W. Whyte & Co., and C. Zeigler.
London: J. Nisbet & Co. Glasgow: J. Rutherfurd, 84
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No. 27.

THE THRONE OF GRACE,

Let m therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." — Heb. iv. 16.

Jesus the Son of God is our Great High Priest. He has
offered his one sacrifice, whereby he hath for ever per-
fected them that are sanctified.1 His offering has been
accepted, and he himself acknowledged of the Father.
He has passed within the vail ; He has gone into the
heavens as our forerunner, to appear in the y.esence of
God for us; He has taken his seat upc^ the throne of
grace, — the mercy-seat above ! This " High Priest of our
profession" is altogether such an one as we need. Both his
office and his character make him most suitable for sin-
ners. In his office there is pardon and cleansing pro-
claimed to us ; and in his character there shine forth the
irresistible attractions of grace and love. He is an High
Priest of good things to come.2 He is a " merciful and
faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make
reconciliation for the sins of the people."3 He is touch-
ed with the feeling of our mfirmities. He can have
compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out
of the way.4 Such is the High Priest of whom the
Apostle speaks. Seeing, therefore, we have such a friend
above, such a condescending, compassionate, tender-hearted
brother, now at the right hand of the throne of the
majesty in the heavens, let us no longer stand afar off,
but, laying aside our guilt and fear, let us boldly approach
the throne of grace, whereon this gracious one is seated,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need. The throne is erected, the High Priest is there ;
the way is open ; the vail is rent ; every necessary provision
has been made ; nothing is wanting for the sinner's assur-

Heb. x. 14. 2 Heb. ix. 11. 3 Heb. ii. 17. 4 Heb. v. 11.
J. RUTHERFURD's SERIES OF TRACTS.

2 No. 27.— The Throne of Grace.

ance ; access to God is free ; every thing invites us • — then
let us approach — let us go up to the mercy- seat, with reve-
rential feelings, yet with calm and trustful hearts.1 Jesus-
is there, why stand aloof ? Jesus is there, why fear and
doubt? Jesus is there, why be afraid to lay our whole
case before him ? Does he not say, " be of good cheer, it
is I, be not afraid ?"

Looking then with the vail, we see a throne, and behold,
it is a throne of grace ! And for whom is it reared ? For
sinners. And how are they to come ? Boldly. And
what gives sinners such boldness ? The throne itself. And
what do they obtain by coming ? They obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.

1. The Throne. — It is a throne of grace. Elsewhere it
is called a " mercy-seat." And it is placed in the holy of
holies — the immediate presence of God, to show us that his
mercy and his holiness flow from the same deep fountain,
and that in order to get grace we must come as near God
as to obtain holiness.2 Many speak as if grace were dis-
pensed by God only at a distance from his holy presence,
but here we are taught that its dwelling is the secret of his
tabernacle — the innermost shrine of his temple — the very
holiest chamber of his secret presence. It is into these
we must enter if we would have grace ; and these are
all thrown open to us through the precious blood that
is sprinkled upon the threshold.3 It is called a throne
because it is the seat of rightful authority, the place where
government is administered, so that Avhatevcr is done here
is done by the authority of the King, and in a righteous
way, according to the strictest laws of the kingdom. But
why is it called a throne of grace ? (1.) Because it is found**}
upon grace. It is upon the free, everlasting love of the
Father that this throne is built. Every stone in its foun-
dation is free love. And it is in the infinite depths of the
Father's bosom that these foundations are laid. " God so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." (2.)
Because every part of it throughout is grace. Not only the
foundation, but every stone in the entire fabric is of grace.
It is cemented together by grace. The corner stone is
grace. The headstone is grace. Every ornament wherewith
it is adorned is grace. Its covering is grace. Nothing is to
ne seen in it, or about it, or upon it, but grace. (3.) It is

1 John iv. 10. * Exod. xix. 4-6. * Eph. ii. 13.

No. 27.— The Throne of Grace 3

erected for purposes of grace. Here grace is dispensed,
nothing but grace, yet all in a righteous way. Nothing
but grace proceeds from this throne. Every tiling con-
nected with it and coming from it is grace, — grace unmixed
and pure. Not partly grace and partly something else, but
grace altogether and exclusively. It is not called a throne
of righteousness, nor a throne of judgment, nor a throne of
merit ; but in distinction from all these it is called a throne
of grace. It is founded on grace. It is composed of grace.
It is adorned with grace. It is erected for purposes of
grace. He who sits thereon is gracious. Its laws are
grace. Its transactions are grace. It has nothing to do
with merit, or claim, or worthiness, but with the opposites
of all these. It is grace to the uttermost, grace without
mixture, grace which knows no bounds. It is grace with-
out terms and conditions and qualifications ; grace which
takes simply for granted man's total worthlessness, helpless-
ness, and sin.1

II. For ichom is this throne of grace erected ? — For those
who need grace, whose case can be met by nothing but free
love. It is for sinners, for the lost, the helpless, the worth-
less, the undone. It is for those who have no merit, no
price, no recommendation, who are utterly destitute of every
qualification, who cannot point to one good thing about
them, whose " whole head is sick, and whose whole heart is
faint.*' It is for those who would not be allowed to ap-
proach any other throne ; who would not be listened to for
a moment any where else. They would be driven from a
throne of merit, or righteousness, or judgment ; but they
are welcome to a throne of 'grace. It is the very place for
them. It is expressly provided for such as they. Had they
any merit they might go to a throne of merit. Had they
any righteousness, they might go to a throne of righteous-
ness. Had they any hope of urging a successful plea in
self-defence, they might go to a throne of judgment. But
seeing they are utterly destitute of all these, whither can
ihey betake themselves but to a throne which welcomes
those who are rejected every where else, and which asks no
claim but that of wretchedness, and want, and sin ? This
throne is intended not for those who have anything, but for
those who are in want of everything. And it is just their
having nothing that makes them welcome here. To whom

» Matt ix. 11, 12. Rom. iii. 24. Gal. iii. 22. 1st Tim. i. 12, 16.

4 No. 27.— The Throne of Grace.

does the physician come ? Not to the whole, but to the sick.
For whom is the hospital reared ? For the diseased. It is
their disease th&x constitutes their claim for admittance there.
The worse their disease, the more suitable are they for it,
and the more welcome should it be to them. It is their
need of healing that makes them fit objects for it. So it is
our need of grace that makes us fit objects for a throne of
grace.

But further, all else are excluded from this throne but they
who need grace. Not only is it intended for them, and suited
to their case, but all, save they, are positively shut out from it.
It is just the very place for a sinner, but for none else. Its
gates are closed against all those who come with any other
plea than their wants. Hence, so many are sent empty
away. They acknowledge a throne of grace, profess to
come to it, and to come to it earnestly, but they do not
come empty — they do not come destitute. They try to
establish some claim even when professing to have none.
They are not content to be mere receivers, mere debtors to
grace. They want to come with a price. They are too
proud to come without it. Hence, they try to turn every-
thing into a price. They turn their earnestness, or their
convictions, or their terrors, or even their very act of com-
ing, into a price, and hope, that because of these, they may
be accepted. No wonder that they return as empty as they
come ; for they came as those who had something, not as
those who were destitute of everything. They came to it
not purely as a throne of grace, or at least a throne of grace
to them. They came to it as partly a throne of merit, which
must be approached only by those who have some qualifi-
cation to bring. Perhaps they admit that it is purely a
throne of grace, and must be approached only as such ; but
then they think that they, individually, dare not expect to
reeeive anything until conscious of some inward feeling, as
a token from God that they are accepted. In other words,
they profess to believe that all things are ready, only they
are waiting for some personal invitation to the feast. Now,
what is this but saying that the throne of grace is not open
to sinners as such, but to those to whom God gives some
additional token of welcome ; and that no sinner ought to
go with boldness to the throne, until he is in some mysteri-
ous way assured, not only that the throne is erected for sin-
ners but in a special manner for himself We might as
well deny that it is a throne of grace, and that we are sin-
ners; For if it be such a throne of grace, and if it be erected

No. 27 — The Throne of Grace. 5

simply for those who need grace, then it must be as free to
each one reading these lines as to any saint that ever ap-
proached it ; and each one who really knows this, will come
without hesitation or suspicion. Though conscious of ten
thousand wants, and ten thousand sins, yet here is the place
where he is welcome, just because he has all these wants, and
is loaded with all these sins.

III. How are we to come to this throne ? — The Apostle
answers, we are to come " boldly," — not doubtingly, hesi-
tatingly, uncertainly, but " boldly." We are to come con-
fidently, " in the full assurance of faith," certain of obtain-
ing an answer, not thinking it possible that we can be refused ;
not counting it presumptuous to come so boldly, but know-
ing that it is only when coming thus boldly that we come
in true humility, and that all doubting springs from piide
and self-righteousness. In aether part of this epistle' we
read, " Let us draw near with a true heart, in the full as-
surance of faith:" and again, "he that comethto God must
believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of all such
as diligently seek him." a We are not only warranted to
come boldly, but we are commanded to do so. It is our sin
if we come doubtingly. It is as much God's command to
come boldly as it is to come at all. No one doubts that God
invites and enjoins all sinners to come to this throne ; no one,
then, can doubt that he commands them to come boldly. If
we are warranted to come at all, we are warranted to come
boldly. It is our sin to refuse to come, it is equally our
sin not to come boldly. God, in providing this throne of
grace, calls on us to come to it as boldly as the innocent go
to a throne of righteousness, or the worthy to a throne of
merit. Nothing less than such a throne could have entitled
us to come to God at all, and nothing more is needed to war-
rant us to come with entire boldness and confidence, even
from the first moment that we draw near to that throne. A
sinner coming for the first time is no more warranted to come
doubtingly, than is a saint just stepping into glory. Both
have the same throne to go to ; both equally need it : both
ought to come with the same boldness, for both come sim-
ply as sinners. All the graces of tli3 saint cannot give him
boldness, and all the want of these in the sinner ought not
to prevent it. Are we satisfied that it is really a throne of
grace ? Then let us come boldly : let us draw near in the

1 Cb. x. VX - xi. 6.

G No. 21.— The Throne of Grace.

full assurance of faith. It is the simple boldness that glori-
fies God. It is this that He expects and delights in. It is
to give this that He has prepared such a throne. And it is
this that honours that throne which he has erected. Why,
then, should any sinner come with less than boldness to such
a throne as this ?

IV. What gives this boldness ? — It is the simple fact that
it is a throne of grace we are coming to, that emboldens and
assures us. So long as we do not understand the real na-
ture of that throne, or come to it with a price or claim in
our hand ; so long as we conceive it to be partly a throne
of merit requiring some qualification on our part, so long
it is impossible that we can come with boldness. But when
the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see that it is entirely a
throne of grace, then this sight alone and by itself, dissi-
pates our fears and draws us in happy confidence to a
throne so suitable and so glorious. Nothing more is need-
ed to remove every fear than this simple fact. It was our
not seeing this that first raised suspicions in our hearts, and
made us come trembling and uncertain ; and it is our see-
ing this, and this alone, that allays these suspicions and
inspires us with the confidence of a child coming to a
father's knee. Whenever we try to draw our boldness from
any other source, immediately our souls are overclouded
and our hands hang down. It is a throne of grace, and what
more can we say ? What more does a guilty soul need to
know, in order to assure him, not only that he is welcome,
but that it would be most dishonouring to God and to his
throne to come with less than the assured expectation of
being heard.

Our fears may whisper, " You are unworthy." True,
but it is a throne of grace, a throne just for the unworthy
and none else. Why, then, should our worthiness make
us doubt ? Still we may say, but alas we have no good
about us, no evidences of grace, no deep convictions of sin,
no repentance, no right feelings, no faith, no love, no hu-
mility. True, but it is a throne of grace, and why there-
fore should the want of all these make you hesitate to come
boldly ? The want of these would have disqualified you
from going to any other throne. You might well have
doubted, had it been a throne of merit or of righteousness ;
but seeing it is a throne of grace, all grace, nothing but
grace, how is it possible for even you to doubt ? To make
these tilings reasons for not coming boldly would just be to

No. 27.— The Throne of Grace. 7

deny that it is a throne of grace at all. It is the grace that
is in the throne, and not the grace that is in us, that gives us
boldness. Nor is it partly the one and partly the other, it
is the former alone that can really do so. It is not what
we see or feel in ourselves ; it is simply what we see in the
throne that imparts confidence. Every other source of con-
fidence is fluctuating and uncertain. This alone is steadfast-
It changes not ; neither can it ever lose its power. Nothing
will suit a sinner's case but something icithout him and
independent of him, something which abides the same amid
all his manifold changes and uncertain frames. And here
is the very thing he needs — a throne of grace, and that
grace the grace of Him who is " the same yesterday,
to-day, and for ever."

He that is not satisfied with this simple fact shews either
that he does not understand its meaning, or that he is too
proud to be entirely a debtor to the free love of God. He
who is not content with this, as of itself sufficient to dispel
all his doubts, must just go on doubting ; for how is it
possible that the sight of any thing else can give him con-
fidence when a throne of grace has failed to do so ? And
if at length the Holy Spirit graciously remove his fears, it
will not be by turning his eyes to any objects within, but
by showing him more fully the free grace of the throne,
and the assurance which that of itself gives Mm that he is
welcome, though the chief of sinners.

Are you then coming to this throne without boldness ?
Does not this show you that you have much to learn as to
the nature of that throne you' are coming to? If you un-
derstood this, it is possible that such uncertainty could re-
main ? You say, but though I have not this confidence, I
am earnest and importunate. Well, but you might be so,
even though there were no throne at all to go to. It is
confidence more than earnestness that a throne of grace calls
forth. At the throne of judgment men will be earnest
enough, but there will be no boldness then. Earnestness
without confidence shows that you do not know that it is a
throne of grace at which you are pleading. Your earnest-
ness shews that you are anxious enough to secure the bless-
ings sought ; but it does not show that you know the way
of obtaining them. It rather shows that you are upon a
plan of your own for buying them with your own fervent
prayers. Your earnestness does not honour the throne nor
Him who sits thereon. Nay, it dishonours Him, for it takes
tor granted that He is a hard and austere man whom you

8 No. 27.— The Throne of Grace.

cannot implicitly trust, and from whom you can obtain no-
thing but by clint of earnest importunity and effort. It is
your confidence, your expectation, your trust, that honour
both the throne and the God who erected it for sinners
such as you. The sooner, therefore, you trust, and the
more implicit is your confidence, the more are you giving
glory to God.

Our expectation of receiving should be a confident one,
just because it is not founded upon any thing in our charac-
ter or doings, but upon something altogether independent
of us, which is not affected by our fluctuations in the least,
and abides ever the same. Yet, strange to say, there are
many who think it unsafe to have this boldness till some
foundation has been laid for it in the improved condition of
their own souls. What ! is it unsafe to build upon the rock
alone ? Is the fabric insecure unless sand be mingled with
the foundation rock ? Is the garment not wide enough to
wrrap us unless eked out by tatters of our own ? Are we
to doubt so long as we have merely the throne to embolden
us, but to cease our doubts so soon as we discover some
good thing in ourselves ?

But may we not be Christians without having this bold-
ness ? I am not careful to answer a question like this.
This, however, I may say, that matters have come to a sad
pass indeed when a man's only comfort is that he may be
a Christian and yet not know it, — that he may be a believer
and yet have no confidence, — that he may be a child of
God and yet not be sure whether God be his Father or not.

Do you say then, tell me what I am to do ? Ah, are
you bent upon doing something, — thereby proving that you
are not satisfied with what has been already done by another.
You want me to put you upon doing something in order to
get this boldness ; whereas I want to put you off doing any-
thing in order to get this, and simply to take it from what
another has done. But you say, tell me how I am to trust ?
Ah, do I need to tell the child how to trust its parent, or
throw itself upon the bosom of its mother? Is it not
enough that it knows its parent's heart ? And is it not
enough that you know the heart of God and see the throne
of grace he has erected ? What a display of self-righteous-
ness is the struggle to believe ! What a manifest proof that
all unbelief is the belief of a lie, — a lie which it costs such a
desperate struggle to part with !

Such then is the nature and meaning of that voice which
speaks to you from the Throne of Grace, that it leaves you

No. 27.— The TJirone of Grace.

no other alternative but either to doubt God's word and
deny his truth, or else to enter upon immediate peace and
assured reconciliation.

V. What do we obtain by coming ? — Every blessing that
we stand in need of and that to the full. Here is the
fountain of all blessing, from pardon of sin up to the fullest
amount of holiness and joy. These the Apostle sums up
under two heads, " mercy and grace." He says, " let us
come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need." These two
words comprehend every thing. First there is mercy, then
there is grace.

1. That ice may obtain mercy. — Mercy is tender love to
the miserable and guilty, showing itself in forgiving and
blessing them. It is the feeling called forth by the sinner's
lost estate, and therefore regards him simply as a sinner,
a lost one. Now this forgiving love is just what the sinner
needs at first. It is the first thing that he cries for when
awakened to a sense of sin. It is also the first thing which
God bestows, and until he has given this he can give
nothing else. Such is exactly the view of it presented
here by the Apostle. It lies uppermost on the throne of
grace, placed so as to draw our attention at once. It is
the first object that attracts our eye and invites our hand.
Hence the words of the passage literally are, »' that we may
take mercy ;" — take it as a thing held out to us ; — take it
as a thing pressed most fervently and freely upon our notice
and acceptance. It is mercy that the sinner needs, for he
is guilty, condemned, under the law, under the curse, under
wrath ; and it is mercy that is first extended to him
that he may be delivered from guilt and condemnation,
sheltered from the curse and wrath which were his due,
and brought out from being under the law to be under
grace.

Sinner ! there is mercy for thee ! It lies upon the mercy-
seat inviting thee to take it. It is mercy to the viles|>
mercy to the uttermost, mercy which embraces every sinner
on this side of hell ! And it is mercy now ; mercy to thee
as thou standest in thy sin, mercy in which there is no delay,
no uncertainty ! Take it and be forgiven. Take it and
enter into peace with God !

2. That we may find grace to help in time of need, or
more literally, " grace for all needful help." Having ob-
tained mercy, it is grace that is next presented to us ; that

10 No. 27.— The Throne of Grace.

is, not merely the free love of God, but that full measure
of infinite blessing which that free love bestows. Hence
it is written of Christ " of his fulness have all we received
and grace for grace."1 Hence also in the apostolic saluta-
tions " grace" is the whole sum and burden of all their
prayers in behalf of their brethren. Hence also it was
said to Paul in his hour of trial " my grace is sufficient for
thee,"2 and hence Paul exhorted Timothy to " be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus." a So here it seems to be
used as comprising all fulness and variety of blessing, " the
manifold grace of God."4

We enter into the Holy of Holies, we go up ro the mercy
seat. Its covering is mercy. We remove the covering ana
wrap it round our guilty wrath-deserving souls. Then are
we safe, for the covering which wraps us is divine. Not a
drop or ray of wrath can penetrate it. But having obtained
this, we begin to discover that we need much more than
this. This is enough to shield us from wrath ; but we
need to have our emptiness filled, our hunger satisfied, and
our thirst quenched. We need to be delivered from a body
of death ; we need to be made holy, and strengthened in
the inner-man. How are we to obtain these ? We look
around, and behold the mercy-seat itself contains the foun-
tain of all these needed blessings. Beneath the covering
which we had removed, we discern this precious fountain ;
and now we are put in possession of every thing we require.
We take our stand at the side of this well of water, and
drink without ceasing from its exhaustless stores. We have
found supply for every want, — free provision for every
various state of our souls. It is just with us as with some
poor bankrupt, whose debts some friend has undertaken to
cancel. He gets his past debts paid, but what is he to
live upon ? His compassionate friend steps forward, and
tells him that he is welcome to draw upon him at any time,
and to any amount he pleases. Such is the manner in
Avhich we first obtain mercy, and then have the fountain of
grace opened to us, that out of it we may draw continually
and without limit or condition.

In this infinite fountain of the manifold grace of God,
there is every needful provision for a saint during all his
pilgrimage. There is something here for all times and sea-
sons, for all states and circumstances, for all times and trials.
We are unholy ; iniquities prevail against us ; the flesh

John i. 16. 2 2 Cor. xii. 9. a 2 Tim. ii. 1. * 1 Peter iv. 10.

No. 27.— The Throne of Grace. 11

lusteth against the spirit. But here is grace to enable us
to be holy. We walk too much with the world, too little
with God ; our walk at the best is uneven, distant, change-
ful. Here is grace to enable us to walk with God, like
Enoch ; to have our conversation in Heaven, even when
dwelling on the earth. Our souls cleave unto the dust ;
the things of earth engross and depress us. Here is grace
to unable us to set our affections on things above, to live as
those who are already seated with Christ in heavenly places,
and from these look down upon the earth.1 We have daily
infirmities, both of body and spirit, to struggle with. Here
is grace to enable us to be strong in the midst of weakness,
yea, to glory in our infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest on us.2 We have a race to run. Here is grace to en-
able us to run it well, — to run«it with patience. We have
enemies to war with, not only flesh and blood, but principa-
lities and powers. Here is grace to make us more than
conquerors through him that loved us.3 Here, in short, is
grace for everything, for every want, for every time : —
grace wherewith to live, grace wherewith to die. Why
then should we be poor so long as God is rich ? Why
should we be weak so long as He is mighty ? Why should
we be empty so long as He is full ? Why should any neces-
sity or trial ever be too great for us, seeing we have Him to
undertake for us, and seeing we have grace like this to help
us in time of need ? Why should we ever either fear or
doubt, seeing we have a fountain of free love like this to
draw from continually ? O folly, passing all other folly !

0 wickedness incredible and inexcuseable, for the child of
faith to give way to perplexity and fear ! Abide in me and

1 in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.' 4

Such is the throxe of grace ! Such its freeness to
every sinner. Such the boldness with which he ought to
come : such the sure ground of confidence in coming : such
the blessing to be obtained. Come then, sinner, come !
The throne invites you, and says come ! The High Priest
that is seated on it, invites you, and says come ! God the
Father, who erected that throne for such as you, says come !
The Word says, come ! Ministers say, come ! This tract
says, come ! Each passing hour says, come. Each trial
that afflicts you says, come ! Every voice above you and
around you, says come. Come boldly to this throne of grace.

1 Eph. ii. 6. » 2 Cor. xii. 9- s Kom. viii. 37. * Jo. xv. 4.

12 No. 27.— TJie Throne of Grace.

Remember that this throne will not remain for ever. It
has its set time, After that, it must be removed, and in its
room the throne of judgment will be set up. And oh ! how
different the one from the other ! The one is all grace to-
gether. The other has no grace at all. All about it and
proceeding from it, is righteousness, judgment, condemna-
tion ! Hear the description of it : — " I saw a great white
throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth
and the Heaven fled away, and there was found no place for
them : and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God ; and the books were opened, and another book was
opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, accord-
ing to their works."1 How soon the throne of grace will be
taken down, and this awful throne set up, you know not.
It may be soon. Time cannot always last. Christ will not al-
ways tarry. He will come. Then time shall be no longer.
Then grace shall be at an end. Then the acceptable year of
the Lord shall close, and the day of vengeance begin.2 Then
you shall hear no longer the gracious invitation of the Sa-
viour, " Come unto me." All that you shall hear will be the
sentence of the Judge, " Depart ye cursed into everlasting
fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

Stand no longer without. Tarry no longer by the way.
Enter into the sanctuary. Come within the vail, for behold
it is rent. Go up to the mercy-seat. Go as thou art. Go
boldly, even though the chief of sinners. Remember it is
a throne of grace thou art going to ; therefore let no amount
of sin in you, lead you to despond, or to draw near uncertain-
ly. Go up to it. All that thou needest is there. Take
the full measure of everlasting blessings. Fear not. Shrink
not. It is just for such as thee. " Whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord shall be saved."

1 Rev. xx. 11, 12. - Is. lxi. 2.

Kelso, Jan. 1844.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso : John Rutherfurd, Market Place.
Edinburgh: J. Johnstone; W. Whyte &Co.; and C. Zieg-
ler. London: J. Nisbet & Co.; Glasgow: James Ruther-
furd, 84 Trougate. Carlisle : J. F. Whytridge.

Price 4s. 6cZ. per 100.

printed at the border watch office, kelso.

No. 28.
THE TRUE HEART.

Let us draw near with a true heart. — Heb. x. 22.

Man's heart, by nature, is not true. It is neither true to
himself nor to God. In some respects it may be said to
be true to himself and his fellow-men, when it is true to
his own interests and true to his usual character, or when
it is true to the friendships and affections of earth. In
the last of these respects we often hear of the heart's
truth. We hear how truly hearts beat in affection for
each other. We hear of friends being true to friends, so
as to maintain their mutual constancy unshaken amid
distance, suffering, and peril. But in all this, how seldom is
it that we hear of hearts that are true to God and to Christ.
What is a true heart ? It is not a perfect heart, for
where is that to be found on earth ? It is not a heart
where sin has no place at all, and where all is holy and
spiritual, for who, save the spirits of the just made
perfect, have reached this stature? It is not a heart
that never wavers, never saddens, never droops, never
languishes, never grows cold, for that we must seek a
brighter world and a more genial clime.

A true heart is one that has ceased to misunderstand
and mistrust the character of God, that takes that charac-
ter simply as it is revealed in grace, and rests where God
would have the sinner to rest, on his forgiving love. A
true heart is one that has ceased to suspect God or to
look upon Him as an austere and hard master. The true-
ness of the heart consists in its right apprehensions of the
character of God; in "knowing the Father" as he has
made himself known to sinners in Christ Jesus. To be
true to God is to know Him as the gracious One, as the
pardoning One, as the sin-hating, yet sinner-loving God.
He who has not yet seen enough of Him in the Cross, as
to dispel all his wicked doubts and guilty fears, is not yet
true to God.

A false heart is one which does not know the Father.
Its views of God's character are distorted and dim. It
seeks, in self-i ighteousness, to do something or feel some-
thing which may draw towards it the favour of God, and
it cannot rest or trust without finding this. It does not
understand the entire freeness of the grace revealed in
Jesus, and will not believe that this grace is so free and
wide as to meet it, even as it is, without one particle of
good about it either in feeling or in action. It suspects

j. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 28.— The True Heart.

God, because it is not satisfied with itself. It thinks it
right to cherish doubts and fears, nay, and it thinks it
wrong to have confidence so long as there is so much of
evil and so little of good about itself. All this is being
false-hearted to God. It looks like humility, but it is
pride. It looks like dissatisfaction with self, but it is just
a trying to get something in self to be satisfied with. It
looks like a sense of unworthiness, but it is just self-right-
eousness, and a refusal to be content to be so altogether
unworthy, as to be indebted for entire salvation to a grace
that has to do with none but the unworthy. Some may
think that though we may call this false-heartedness to
God, it is at least being true to his holiness and true to
his law, for it is a dread of these that produces this despon -
dency and keeps the soul from rest. But this is not even
being true to his holiness, for it is supposing that God's
holiness is at variance with his grace, and that we best
magnify his holiness by distrusting his grace. And is not
this being false to God — false to his holiness as much as
to his grace ? Is it not just saying, that God has taken
so little care to guard his holiness that it is necessary for
the sinner to do something for this end, and that the best
way to do this is just to continue doubting until evidences
of being holy can be discovered in the soul. But God
has taken care of his own holiness and has not left it to
us to do this. He has so fully provided for it in the gos-
pel, that, the more we trust his grace, the more we honour
his holiness, while, on the other hand, by distrusting his
grace, we refuse to give to his holiness the honour that is
its due.

What, then, is the cure of false-heartedness ? How is
a true heart to be found? I need not say that all must
come from the Holy Spirit. The same mighty power
that wrought in Christ, when He was raised from the dead,
must be put forth towards us. But how does the Holy
Spirit produce this true heart ? What is that He shows us
which removes our falseness of heart and makes it true ?
How does God set hearts right with Himself?

God does all this by showing us what He really is. He
snows us how much we have mistaken his character and
how little we have done justice to his love. He shows us
that He is not what our false hearts have supposed him to
be. We have sadly misjudged Him, and imagined Him to
be such an one as we ourselves, that will give only as He
gets and loves only as He is loved in return. Now, the
Holy Spirit withdraws the veil and reveals the gracious
countenance of God. He shows us how much we have
wronged Him, how little we have understood either the

No, 28.— Tlie True Heart 3

freeness or the largeness of his grace, and then it is that
the suspicions of our false hearts give way; then, instead
of standing afar off, we draw nigh ; then, instead of
cherishing fears and doubts because of cur sinfulness, we
lay all these aside, seeing that, since God has not made
these a reason for not loving us, we should not make them
a reason for doubting that love. When thus we get " ac-
quainted with God," we are at peace. We feel that no-
thing more is needed, for producing perfect peace, but
this acquaintanceship with God in his true character.
It was our not knowing Him that filled us with trouble,
and it is our knowing Him that fills us with peace. The
knowledge of the Father is the sunshine of Heaven to our
benighted souls. Thus our false -heartedness is removed,
and we become true to God, and true to Christ. It is what
we see in them that makes us true to them. When we
see them as they are, trueness of heart springs up unbid-
den. We find the resting-place sufficient, and so we rest.

But do not our sins rob us of this? Perhaps, in point
of fact, they often do, but, most assuredly, they ought
not. For what amount of sin in us can make God less
an object to be trusted ? Can any sin that we have com-
mitted make it right for us to be untrue to God, untrue
to Christ ? Is one sin to be the ground for our com-
mitting another ? Are we to be false to Jesus because
sin has been found upon us ? Dare any of us say it is
right to be false to Jesus, because we have been guilty of
sin ? Ought we not rather to say, we have certainly trans-
gressed, but still we dare not add to the guilt of these
transgressions, the still greater sin of being false to Jesus.
No degree of sin in us can make him less the sinner's Sa-
viour and the sinner's friend. Nothing can alter his cha-
racter of grace, or render less efficacious his infinitely
precious blood. Should the consciousness of sin, then,
make us false to Jesus ? WTas it the knowledge that we
were not sinners that first made us true to Him ? No it
was not. In the full view and sense of all our guilt, we
were drawn to Him, because He was altogether such an
one as a sinner might lean upon. And how, then, can the
fuller discovery of our guilt make us lean upon Him less,
or make us think it necessary to be untrue to Him ? Has
He deserved this at our hands ?

The knowledge of immediate and complete forgiveness,
through the belief of the gospel, is that which alone can
give us true hearts. An imperfect knowledge of this
keeps us untrue. A doubtful pardon, uncertainty as to
our acceptance with God, cannot make us true. A gos-
pel which brings us merely the hope of pardon, which

4 No. 28.— The True Heart.

makes reconciliation with God a future and distant privi-
lege, cannot deliver us from the natural falseness of our
hearts. But a gospel that assures us of God's gracious mind
towards sinners, and tells us of sin put away by the sacri-
fice of God's own Son, does surely proclaim enough to
disarm our dread, to allay our suspicion, and to inspire us
at once with the most child-like confidence. A gospel
that tells us how true Jesus has been to us is the only
gospel that can make us true to Him, Any thing which
would awaken in us the very slightest doubt of His grace
and love, tends to make us false to Him. And surely He
has been true to us whatever we have been to Him. He
was true to us when he said, " Lo I come to do thy will O
God." He was true to us, when, in the fulness of time, He
was made flesh and dwelt among us. He was true to us,
when, during three and thirty years, He sojourned below
in this world of sin, seeking the lost, and gathering those
who, like sheep had gone astray. He was true to us when
He went into the garden of Gethsemane and drank the
bitter cup. He was true to us when He endured the cruel
mocking and scourging and spitting, and when He allowed
the hands of wicked men to place upon His head the
crown of thorns. He was true to us when He died and
when He went down into the grave, when He rose again,
and when He ascended on high leading captivity captive.
He is true to us now in heaven, as true as He was on earth,
for He ever liveth to make intercession for us. If, then,
He has been so true to us, how can we be false to Him ?
Look at Jesus, Believers, and that will keep you true to
Him ! Look at Jesus, sinners, and the sight of what He
is and what He has done will make you ashamed of that
false heart of yours. It will make you ashamed of your
doubts, ashamed of your treachery, ashamed of your un-
kindness, ashamed of your unbelief, and make you fall at
His feet, saying, My Lord and my God ! Looking at
yourself may make you afraid to trust, but looking at Him
will make you afraid and ashamed to distrust. Looking
unto Jesus is the cure for a false heart, and the only way
for producing a true one.
Kelso, August, 1844.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso : John Rutherfurd, Market Place.

Edinburgh : J. Johnstone ; W.Whyte & Co.; and C. Ziegler.

London : J. Nisbet & Co. ; R. Groombridge.

Carlisle : J. F. Whitridge.

Price Is. 6d. per 100.

» rinteb at the border watch office, kelso.

No. 32.

THE CHOSEN ONE.

11 My Chosen One in whom my soul delighteth." — Is. xlii. 1.
" My Servant whom I have chosen." — Is. xliii. 10.
" The Christ, the chosen of God." — Lu. xxiii. 35.

It is Jesus who is The Chosen One. He is, by pre-
eminence, the object of the Father's choice. Above all
other beings in heaven and on earth, and in a way infinitely
distinct from every one of them, He is the eternally chosen
of the Father, — the chosen of Him whose divine wisdom
knew well the value of that which it was choosing, and,
therefore, could not choose amiss.

He alone was chosen for what was good in Him. God
may have reasons for choosing objects, apart from what He
finds in themselves ; but in the case of the only begotten
Son, it was the matchless excellence and glory found in
Him that made Him the object of the Father s everlasting
choice. It was thus that He was " set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, or ever the earth was, being daily His
delight."1 Other objects might be chosen for something
good in them, and God, in looking upon these objects of
His choice, might pronounce them " very good."2 But still
even these had only something that was good in them, Jesus
had all. They were destitute of many things in which God
delighted, Jesus was awanting in none. He had every thing
that the Father's heart could desire. Every unsinning
creature is good according to its kind, and may to that ex-
tent be the object of choice. But every creature is lacking,
— lacking in many things, and, therefore, cannot be the ob-
ject of full and satisfied choice to him who can be com-

1 Prow viii. 23, 30. 2 Gen. i. 31.

J. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 32.— The Chosen One.

pletely satisfied with nothing but what is absolutely perfect,
not only without a sin, but without an imperfection or flaw.
This perfection was found in Jesus alone ; and because of
this He was the Father's Chosen One. Jehovah's whole
soul was satisfied in Him ; l and it must have been bound-
less excellence on which the Father's soul could thus en-
tirely rest.

The saints are doubtless the objects of the Father's choice.
Hence they are said to be " called according to His pur-
pose?'2 They are said to be " chosen before the foundation
of the world."3 They are said to be "from the beginning
chosen to salvation."4 But still they are not chosen as
Jesus was. It cannot be that they should be the objects of
Jehovah's choice as Jesus was. In their case it is an object
altogether unworthy that is fixed upon ; in His case it is
the opposite. In their case it is not the good that is found
or foreknown in them that causes them to be chosen ; in
Him it was.5 He could not but be chosen, for in Him
there centred all created and all uncreated excellence. His
claims to be the Chosen One are without a rival ; for all
was perfection in Him ; divine perfection, without a defect,
or blemish, or stain. He was the chief among ten thousand,
as much in the Father's eyes as He is in the eyes of his saints.
In this, as in all other things, He has had from eternity the
pre-eminence ; a pre-eminence which shall remain undis-
puted and unrivalled throughout all the eternity that is to
come. Blessed pre-eminence for us, for He is our Head !

1 Is. xlii. ]. 2 Rom. viii. 28 ; 2 Tim. i. 9.

3 Eph. i. 4. 4 2 Thess. ii. 13.

5 There are some who deny this choosing. They are so zealous for
man's free-will that they will not admit of free-will in God. All the
choosing they will allow God to exercise is the choosing of those whom
He foreknows will turn to Him, — t. e. choosing those who first choose
Him. They quote in defence 1 Pet. i. 2, " elect according to the fore-
knowledge of God the Father ;" and they ask, Is this not choosing ac-
cording to foreknowledge ? Yes, beyond all doubt it is, But of what
is it the foreknowledge ? Is it of the evil or the good P Certainly of
the evil] for what else was there to foreknow P God, foreknowing all
the circumstances of the case, — the evil of the whole race of Adam, —
that there was nothing but evil about any, no desire even to turn or
believe, nothing but absolute corruption, enmity, helplessness, and
death, — God foreseeing all this, chose some out of this mass of wic-
kedness. And thus they are " elect according to the foreknowledge
of God."

No. 32.— The Chosen One. 3

None can ever claim to be the Father's Chosen One, as He
can do. Angels may stand exalted in power and unfallen
excellence, but they come immeasurably short of His match-
less claims. The Church, the Bride, shall be presented
" without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ;" she shall be
placed beside Him on His throne ; but still His claims re-
main undivided and un approached. In regard to these
there can be no rivalry, no equality, no, not the most dis-
tant conceivable approach by any other. Oh, what an in-
finite and ineffable perfection of " glory and of beauty" must
be in Him to render Him thus above all other beings, the
supreme object of Jehovah's satisfaction, — the Father's
Chosen One ! x

Doubtless, the Church is the eternally chosen of the
Father, — given by Him to Christ before all ages. This is
her glory and her joy. This is her dignity above all
other creatures; and well would it be for her if she
would keep in mind this her peculiar pre-eminence, and
Jive like Jehovah's "called, chosen, faithful" one.2 But
still she is not and cannot be the chosen one as Jesus is. He
has everything about him to render him altogether worthy of
this honour ; she has nothing but what makes her utterly
unworthy of it. It is not for what is good in her, either
known or foreknown, that she is chosen, for what is there
in her but evil? What has she to boast of as her heritage
but sin ? What has she to tell of in reference to herself
but sin : — sin all over, sin within and without, the whole
head sick, the whole heart faint ; a body of death, corrup-
tion, pollution, and loathsome deformity. Her birth and
her nativity is of the land of Canaan ; her father was an
Amorite, her mother an Hittite ; in the day that she was
born she was cast out into the open field, to the loathing of
her person, "polluted in her blood."3 What claim had
she ? Yet she was chosen ! Notwithstanding all her un-
vvorthiness, she was chosen ! O, the depths of the riches,
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, — how unsearch-
able are His judgments, and His ways past finding out !
O, the exceeding riches of His grace ! For it is through

1 Song v. 9—16; Ps. xlv. 2—7; Is. xxviii. 16; xlix. 1 — 7;
Matt. xii. 18 ; 1 Perer ii. 4.

* Jo. xvii. 2, 6, 11, 24 ; Rev. xvii. 14. 3 Ezek. xvi. 1—6.

4 No. 32.— The Chosen One.

g>'ace alone that she is chosen. Had it not been for this
there could have been no hope for her. It was according
to the eternal purpose of grace that she was chosen. It is
grace that has made her to differ from the world in which
she still abides. It is through grace that she is thus "known
of God,"1 and " apprehended of Christ Jesus."2 It was by
" the grace of God that Christ tasted death" for her.3 It
is through grace that she believes.4 It is through grace
that she is saved, and has "good hope ;"5 for it is the God
of grace who hath called her to His kingdom and glory,6 and
it is to the praise of the glory of His grace that she is pre-
destinated to the adoption of children, according to the good
pleasure of His will.7

Yet, though it is of grace, it is as sure and real as if it
had been all of merit. She is as certainly and as unchange-
ably the object of the Father's choice as Jesus is. No two
beings could be chosen for more opposite reasons, yet still
the certainty of the choice remains the same. Blessed
thought ! we are as sure of the Father's love as Jesus is.

" As my Father hath loved me, so have I loved you I

have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that
the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and
I in them."8 In His case, this love, this choice, cannot be
altered, neither can it be in ours. Both are sure and un-
changeable. Both are from eternity to eternity. " It doth
not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when
He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him
as He is." y

But how is it possible that the Father's choice can fix
upon objects so entirely different from each other ? How
can the same Being choose the holy and the unholy, fixing
upon both in the same eternal purpose, and embracing both
in the same paternal arms ? How is it that He can choose
one object which possesses all excellence, and at the same
time fix upon another which possesses none ? To this we
can give but a poor imperfect answer. We know not aright
how all this can be : and we may well stand amazed to think
that so it really is ! What shall we say, but " even so,

• Gal. to. 9. 2 Phil. iii. 12. 3 Heb. ii. 9.

4 Acts xviii. 27. * 2Thes.ii.16. 6 1 Pet. v. 10.

» Eph. i. 5, 0. « Jo. xv. 9 ; xvii. 20. s I Jo. iii. 2.

No. 32. — The Chosen One. 5

Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." The mind of
God is beyond all measurement or comprehension of ours.
The heart of God is a depth too deep for us to fathom. Its
streams of love flow down freely to us, and we drink and
are refreshed. But its hidden springs of affection and choice
are altogether inaccessible to us. The how and the why we
cannot reason out or comprehend. We shall know some-
thing of those secrets of love hereafter, but here we only see
through a glass darkly. Yet the fact itself is plainly re-
vealed. God has set His heart at once upon the most
worthy and the most unworthy beings in the universe, em-
bracing both extremities in his mysterious choice. Of this
we are assured ; and it is a thought as blessed as it is true.
rt Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved
us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."1

But how is God righteous in so doing ? Is there not
something here like inconsistency ? Does it not seem
as if He were indifferent to the character of the objects
chosen, caring little whether they were holy or unholy, since
He thus fixes upon the best and the worst at the same time ?
By no means. His choosing Christ shows that He is not
indifferent to the objects chosen. In choosing him He
shows how He prizes perfection, and how He delights in it.
Having given this proof of his infinite love of goodness and
holiness, no one can mistake his doings in reference to
others. Whatever may be his reason, it cannot be indiffer-
ence to sin or a want of regard to righteousness. He has
put this matter beyond a doubt, by making The Righteous
One the object of his supreme and everlasting choice. And
having done this, who shall charge him with inconsistency
in choosing whom He will ? Is He not at liberty to fix
upon the most unholy without being charged with indiffer-
ence to sin ?

Having found an object infinitely worthy of his choice,
and set his heart on him, may He not make his choice of
others depend upon reasons best known to himself, without
the imputation of unrighteousness ? Were He indeed to
choose them, and allow them to remain unholy, this charge
would be well-founded. But though He finds them unholy,
He does not leave them so. He chooses them that they

1 1 Jo. iv. 10.

6 No. 32.— The Chosen One.

may be holy.1 In their sanctification He displays his love
of holiness. His object is that they may be delivered from
their sinfulness, and conformed to the image of his Chosen
One. And thus it is seen that it is still holiness that He is
seeking, and on which He has set his heart. In all things
He manifests that his is a holy choice, even though fixed
upon the unholy. What a motive for us to seek holiness ! It
is to this that we are called. It is this that is enjoined upon
as, " be ye holy, for I am holy."

This choice is said to be in Christ Jesus. Let us mark
this expression, in Christ Jesus. The saints are chosen in
him before the foundation of the world. Had He not been
chosen, they would never have been so. It is because He
is chosen that they are chosen in him from eternity. It is
the Father's choice of the worthiest that enables him to
choose the unworthiest. It is this that makes it a righteous
thing for him to do so. In him they are chosen, as if form-
ing part of himself, so that they are, if we may say so, lost
in him, — so identified with him that they appear as one with
him. They seem never to be known of the Father, nor to
know themselves, save in connection with him. If they go
back to eternity, they see themselves in connection with
him. If they look at their history here, they see their con-
nection with him, — dying, buried, rising, ascending, with
him. If they gaze forward into eternity, then also they see
themselves still in connection wtth him. One with him in
the Father's purpose ; one with him in his death and resur-
rection ; one with him in his kingdom hereafter, when He
comes again in his glory to make all things new.

This is our security and joy. Jesus is the Father's
Chosen One ! Let us rejoice and be glad in this. The
Father has found an object worthy of his choice. This is
the foundation on which we build, a foundation broad
enough for us to build upon here, and to rest upon for ever.
Let us sing the new song, "saying, with a loud voice,
worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory,
and blessing."2 This chosen of the Father is our chosen
too ! Chosen in him from eternity, we have been brought
to choose him, by that Holy Spirit who quickeneth the dead

■ Eph. i. 4 ; Col. i. 22 ; iii. 12 ; 2 Tim. i. 9. ■ Kev. y. 12.

No. 32.— The Chosen One. 7

and changes enmity into love. Whom have we in heaven
but him ? " His love is better than Avine."1 " As the ap-
ple tree among the trees of the wood, so is our beloved
among the sons."2 We have ravished Ins heart, and He
hath ravished ours.3 " His countenance is as the most fine
gold, his locks are bushy and black as a raven, his counte-
nance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. * And weary
with his long absence from us, and unable any longer to brook
delay, we take up the Church's longing supplication, "make
haste my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young
hart upon the mountains of spices/'5

It is because there is such a Chosen One that there is
hope for the undeserving and ungodly. Sinners ! there is
hope for you. The Father hath found a Chosen One, in
whom his soul delighteth, and because of this He is willing
to take you in, and make you partakers of his love. Be-
cause this Chosen One has deserved everything, therefore it
is a righteous thing in God to give eternal life to you who
have deserved nothing. Because this Chosen One has glo-
rified the Father, therefore his love can flow freely out to
you, even though the chief of sinners. Did you but see
Christ as the Father's Chosen One, you would see what
full provision this makes for your forgiveness and peace.
Had there been no Chosen One in whom the Father's soul
could rest, there would have been no hope of rest for you.
Had there been no Chosen One there could have been no
accepted sacrifice, no precious blood, no magnified law, no
justifying righteousness — no hope at all for any sinner. But
now there is hope, certain hope, for such as you, even though
the guiltiest on this side of hell, because there is such a
Chosen One as Jesus, the only begotten of the Father full
of grace and truth. The more you realize of the infinite
excellence of Jesus, the more you will understand the true
foundation of a sinner's peace. The more you see in Jesus
what the Father sees in Him, the more will you compre-
hend the glad tidings of great joy concerning Him, and
learn to rejoice and sing " unto us a Child is born, unto us
a Son is given." Oh, come and share this joy. You are
welcome. Tarry not a moment, lest the open door be closed

1 Son? i. 2. - ii. 3. 3 iv. 9. * v. 11, 15. * viii. 14.

lid

od
er,
his

8 No. 32.— The Chosen One.

for ever. Strange that the Chosen of the Father should
not be your chosen too ! Strange that the Chosen of God
should be the rejected of men ! Yet so it is ! Oh, sinner,
is it always so to be ? Are you to stumble upon t
stumbling-stone laid in Zion, till you stumble into hell ?

" Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, pre-
cious ; and he that belie veth on Him shall not be confound-
ed. Unto you, therefore, which believe He is precious, but
unto them which be disobedient the stone which the build-
ers disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and
a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them
that stumble at the Word, being disobedient, whereunto
also they were appointed."

"Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be
broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall it will
grind him to powder."

HYMN.

Saved from the awful guilt of sin

By Him who bare the cross ;
We'll now a cheerful strain begin

Where God began with us.

We sing the vast unmeasured grace,

Of height and depth untold,
Which did the saints elect embrace,

As sheep within the fold.

We had not known the blood for sin,

Nor sweets of pardoning love,
Unless our worthless names had been

Enrolled for life above.

Well may we sing, since bought with blood

Of God s eternal Son :
Oh, how secure God's purpose stood

Ere time its race begun.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso: John Rotherfurd, Market Place.

Edinburgh : J. Johnstowe ; W. P.Kennedy ; andC.ZiEGLEK.

London : J. Nisihet & Co. ; R. Groombridge.

Carlisle : J. F. Whitridge.

Price Ss. per 100.

printed at the border watch office, kelso.

No. 33.

THE LAST TIME.

" Little children, it is the last time ; and as ye have heard that Atiti-
chrisl shall come, even now are there many Antichrists, whereby we
know that it is the last time." — 1 Jo. ii. 18.

" The coming of the Lord draweth nigh." — James v. 8.

The Apostle John, in the first of these passages, tells us,
that the last time was begun in his days. It was going on
when he wrote. The Apostle Peter tells us, that the last
days were to end in the coming of the Lord, as we read
throughout the whole of the third chapter of his Second
Epistle. We thus discover the beginning and end of the
period so often spoken of in Scripture as the last days. Its
beginning was in the Lord's first coming and its end was in
His second coming. The whole period between His first
and second comings is called by this name.

Now, what was to be the character of these days ? Was
it to be good or evil ? Evil, undoubtedly, to the very last.
John tells us, that the special mark of these times was to
be the prevalence of Antichrists. The last days were to be
the times wherein Antichrist should have sway. They
were not to be Christian but Antichristian in their charac-
ter. There were to be " many Antichrists," but, as they
drew near their close, there was to be One Great Power
— one great adversary of God and His Christ exercising
dominion. He is called Antichrist ! The Antichristian
tendencies began to show themselves even in the Apostles'
days. They have gone on since then, showing themselves
in many different forms. But as the days draw near their
close, there is to be one great Antichrist, more hateful,
more blasphemous, more atheistical, and more powerful and
extensive in his sway than any heretofore. He is to rise
up in awful strength and cruelty, in daring defiance of God
and hatred of His people, till he be utterly destroyed by
the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus.

That the whole period between the First and Second
Comings of Christ is evil and not good, may be shown from
many passages, both of the Old and New Testament. We

J. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

o No. 33.— The Last Time.

select a few. Our Lord, when answering the questions of
his disciples about his coming, and the signs of it,1 makes
no mention of any thing but wars and wickedness, tribula-
tion and sorrows, onward without interval or cessation,
until his coming. So far were these from ceasing, as the
time of his coming drew on, they were to increase and grow
worse as time went on. Iniquity was to abound, and the
love of many wax cold. The time before his coming was
to be like that before the deluge ; like Noah's days, when
wickedness overflowed, or like the days of Lot, when Sodom
and Gomorrah were consumed.

Paul, when speaking of the last days, tells us that they
were to be wholly evil.2 " This know, that in the last days
perilous times shall come." And he adds, that so far from
their growing better, they are to increase unto more un-
godliness ; " evil men and seducers shall wax worse and
worse, deceiving and being deceived." He tells us, more-
over, in the second chapter of Second Thessalonians, that
the " man of sin" had begun to work even in his own days,
that it would go on increasing more and more, until the ap-
pearing of the Lord, and that then, but not till then, would
it be overthrown ; — " whom the Lord shall consume by the
spirit of his mouth, and destroy by the brightness of his
coming." It is plain, then, that the whole period called the
last days, the period between the First and Second Comings
of the Lord, was to be one of Antichristian wickedness and
tyranny.

Daniel also gives us a description of this period. First,
under the symbol of a great image, he sets before us the
history of the empires which were to exist, until the stone
cut out of the mountain without hands falls on the toes of
the image, — that is, upon the Roman empire in its divided
state, which stone must refer to the Second, and not to the
First Coming of Christ, as that empire was not divided in
that manner till long after the First Coming of Christ.
Under the symbol of the four beasts, he gives us another
picture of the times of Gentile oppression and wickedness.
These times began in the prophet's days, and they are to
continue till the Second Coming of Christ. This is plain
from the prophet's description. First, the Babylonish em-
pire rises up into power, and then passes away. Then the
Persian empire succeeds, and passes away. Then the Ma-

1 See Matt, xxiv ; Mark xiii ; Lu. xxi. 2 2 Tim. iii. 1—5.

No. 33.— The Last Time. 3

ccdonian empire succeeds, and passes away. Then the
Roman empire follows, and is still in existence, and shall
continue so, says the prophet, until the fifth or last king-
dom comes, — the kingdom of Christ and his saints. " I saw
in the night visions, and behold one like the Son of Man
came with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the Ancient
of Days ; and they brought him near before him : and there
was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that
all people, nations, and languages, should serve him." Thus
we learn that the whole period called the times of the Gen-
tiles, is to be one of oppression and ungodliness, and wear-
ing out the saints of the Most High, and that this period
does not end till the Second Coming of the Lord.

During all this period of the last days, the Church of
Christ is to be a " little flock," — a small and despised
remnant ; like Noah in the days before the flood, like Lot
in Sodom, like Abraham among the Canaanites, like Israel
in Egypt, like the captives in Babylon, like the early Chris-
tians at Rome and Corinth. Her present state is to be one
of oppression and persecution by the world. She is an in-
jured and afflicted widow, having none to vindicate her
cause on earth against the cruelty of her adversaries. Her
clothing is sackcloth, and her only crown the crown of
thorns. Hence all the promises of Scripture, especially of
the New Testament, take for granted this afflicted state.
They suppose that she is to continue in that state until her
Lord and Master come. In the Bridegroom's absence the
Spouse mourns and weeps. Consolation is administered,
and promise upon promise is given to sustain her during the
absence of her Lord. But all these consolations point for-
ward to a time when the Bridegroom shall come, and the
Church shall no longer sit desolate and sad. Till He come,
however, she has no promise of deliverance from her widow-
hood and sorrow. Till He come, her tribulation does not
end nor her triumph begin. These " exceeding great and
precious promises" are to uphold her in the day of her sor-
row, and to be as a light shining in a dark place, until the
day dawn and the day-star arise. Hence it is to his coming
that she is looking as her blessed hope. It is for his arrival
that she is waiting with such longing expectation, wearying
for the times of the restitution of all things, and saying, —
" Make haste, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young hart
upon the mountains of spices."1

1 Song viii. 14.

4 No. 33.— The Last Time.

Meanwhile, she has the Holy Spirit dwelling in her, as
" the earnest of the inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession." She walks by faith, and not by sight,
and her faith is to her the substance of things hoped for,
and the evidence of things not seen. Saved by grace, and
assured of her salvation in believing, she has peace with
God, and learns to glory in tribulation. Resting on the
free love of God to her, in Christ Jesus her Lord, she is
" always confident," knowing that when He who is her life
shall appear, she shall appear with Him in glory. Having
received a kingdom that cannot be moved as her promised
portion, she holds fast that grace of God which she believed
at first, and serves God with reverence and godly fear, look-
ing for and hasting to the day of God, when that kingdom
shall be her's in possession, as it is now her's in promise.

It is this hope that separates her from the world. It is a
hope of which it knows nothing. It is so sure, so free, and
so glorious, that it cannot even conceive of it aright. Hence
there can be no community of feeling between the world
and her. She is a stranger and a pilgrim here, and has no-
thing in common with the world at all. Many things mark
her out as peculiar, but her hope especially does this, — this
hope she holds fast, knowing that it shall not be put to
shame. And as the last days draw nearer to their close,
and her hope brightens and approaches, she seeks to walk
more and more worthy of her calling. She comes out from
the world more entirely, and fixes her eye and soul more in-
tently upon the glory which is so soon to be revealed. The
thickening darkness of the last days is to her the sign of
coming dawn, — the forerunner of the long-expected king-
dom. As the clouds grow denser and more threatening she
lifts up her head, knowing that her redemption draweth nigh.

Kelso, April, 1845.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso : John Rutherfurd, Market Place.
Edinburgh : J. Johnstone ; W. P. Kennedy ; and C. Ziegl:
London: J.Nisbet&Co. Carlisle: J. F.AVhitridge.
Price Is. Gd. per 100.

printed at the border watch OFFICE, KELSO.

[No. 35.

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.

i" am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth." — Rom. I. 16.

We have had frequent occasion to state the Gospel itself.
We have showed that it is glad tidings of great joy con-
cerning Jesus Christ, " the only begotten Son of God, who,
though He was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we by
His poverty might be rich/' We have showed that he who
believeth is justified from all from winch law could never
justify him, — that " to him that worketh not, but believeth
on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness." We have showed that this forgiveness is a
sure thing, — sure to him that believeth, so that there is no
need for doubt or uncertainty, — sure to him that believeth,
not because better than others, but simply because he be-
lieveth. Our object at present is to bring before our readers
some instances of the power of the Gospel, — to show its
blessed results, so that men may see that it is a real thing,
and that its blessings are present realities.

We have had frequent occasion to observe cases in which
the effects of a believed Gospel were slowly and gradually
brought out, — perhaps one after the other successively in
the course of years, — so that we could only gather its re-
sults from the summary of a whole lifetime, and this, per-
haps, after all only imperfectly in fragments, so that the true
nature and effects of the Gospel were not fully seen. In
such cases, it might be supposed naturally enough that it
was not simply the believed Gospel that wrought the happy
consequences, but the gradual inward process going on in
the soul, which, in the course of years, produced joy and
peace. By this means, the real nature of the Gospel is
often misunderstood, and a series of self-righteous doings
and feelings substituted in its place. Thus, people are kept
in darkness and bondage from supposing it necessary that

J. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 35. —The Power of the Gospel.

it should be so, and that a long period must elapse ere the
Gospel can take effect, and till they can hope to experience
its joys or taste the blessedness of knowing assuredly that
they are forgiven.

It might be enough to point to all the believers men-
tioned in the New Testament. The Acts of the Apostles
contain the records of thousands of cases in which the Gos-
pel took immediate effect, and not one in which its blessings
were indefinitely postponed, and they who believed it left in
darkness and disquietude. What better instances can we
have than those, of the immediate and most blessed results
of a believed Gospel. No man can gainsay these. They are
so plain and so explicit. And then they are instances re-
corded by an unerring pen. From all these we learn beyond
a doubt that the Gospel, as soon as received, brings along
with it into the soul joy and peace, — light and gladness, —
the very sunshine of Heaven. Now, if the Gospel wrought
such blessed effects in those days, then why not now ?
What should hinder the same joy and peace from taking
immediate possession of the soul that belie veth ? It is the
same Gospel still. It contains the same free message of
peace. It presents the same glad welcome to the sinner.
There is the same Saviour still ; the same precious blood —
the same justifying death — the same peace-speaking cross —
the same perfect righteousness. There is the same Holy
Spirit working as of old, with an arm that has not been
shortened, and with a power as able to quicken and save as
of old. Surely, then, there must be something widely
wrong if they who profess to receive the glad tidings are
still left in sorrow, — nay, think it right to remain in that
state, or even count it presumption to rejoice.

We know not a better way of settling this point than by
adducing some modern instances, from which it is plain that
to some at least among us the Gospel has lost none of its
former power and gladness ; and that some in our own day
have found it as glad and glorious a Gospel as did those
who heard it warm from the lips of the Apostles. This will
show that the blessed effects immediately following upon its
belief are still manifested among us, and that to them who
receive the Word of God concerning his Son simply and as
little children, it is still, as of old, a record of gladness, —
dispelling all darkness, and filling the soul with light.
Take, first of all, the following instance. It is from a small

No. 35. — The Power of the Gospel. 3

work, called St Helena Memoirs. It is an instance very
much to our present purpose, and a most interesting case
indeed. The narrator was conversing with an officer who
was a Deist. In the room, and hard by, there was a young
man, listening to all that was said. The conversation passed
on from a discussion on Deism to a simple statement of
Gospel truths. But the narrator himself must tell us what
these were : — " I began, as I usually did, at the universal
depravity of man, his need of regeneration and a Saviour,
the nature of conversion, instancing the jailor, Lydia, the
thief, &c, and proving that when convinced of sin nothing
prevented our instantaneous pardon and acceptance to eter-
nal life in Christ Jesus but our own wilful unbelief. I
showed the madness of looking to any works, either of re-
pentance or any thing else, as a condition to perform before
we can venture to believe or hope to be pardoned ; and
then dwelt upon the Scripture way of justifying the ungodly
through faith alone, and instantaneously on believing. Then
I dwelt on the richness, freeness, and sovereignty of grace."
Such were the truths stated, and in conversation merely —
conversation not directly pointed at the individual affected.
They were just the common Gospel truths — nothing more :
— man's lost estate, — the free salvation through the cross.

Now, mark the results, and see what a simply-spoken
Gospel can do. In a short time he began to observe that
though the Deist was unmoved, the young man was in tears.
He sat weeping, as if utterly absorbed in what he was hear-
ing, and unconscious that others saw him. He seemed
most affected by what was said about the salvation being
immediate, and that nothing prevented him being pardoned
that moment but his own unbelief. Soon after the conver-
sation ended. The narrator and the young man were left
alone for the night. As soon as they were left there alone,
he took the young man by the hand, and again spoke to
him in the fulness of his heart. He was utterly over-
powered. He seemed overwhelmed with the deep convic-
tion, and drowned in tears, till it seemed as if he were be-
coming ill. The free grace of God was then dwelt upon,
and the Gospel again set before him. Suddenly his tears
ceased to flow. All sorrow fled, and joy unspeakable took
possession of his soul. But we must here give the yery
words of the narrator : — " We had committed ourselves in
prayer to God^ and lain down to rest ; and now I remem-

4 No. 35 — The Power of the Gospel.

ber a scene occurred which I shall never forget. It was
this. ' His agony of sorrow had ceased, and now an agony
of joy so possessed his soul that several times I thought he
would have expired. I tried to allay it, but in vain. He
would go on crying out in the most soul-piercing expres-
sions, addressed to Jesus Christ. He wished to die, — then,
- — that moment, — and be with Christ, crying out, * O blessed
Jesus, thou hast saved me — me, a great sinner, a child of
wrath ; — thou hast saved me this night, — thou hast given
me eternal life and glory ; — I shall never perish ; — oh,
never, never ; — thou hast made me thy child for ever and
ever ; — Jesus is my Saviour, God is my God. — O blessed,
blessed boundless love ; — boundless grace and mercy. O
love, love, what boundless love to me ; — an heir of Heaven,
— justified, — glorified! Oh, it is too much to bear. O
blessed Jesus, help me, help me to bear this agony, or I
shall die. Oh, support me, or take my spirit to thyself,
that I may bear it. Oh, take me now, — take me this night,
that I may be delivered from this great agony of joy, aud
be with thee for ever and ever!' In this strain he con-
tinued for nearly an hour. I saw I could do nothing.
Finding him much exhausted, I got up and tried to stop
him from speaking any more, but he burst out again, and
then I thought that his soul had fled, and that that Saviour
to whom he cried in his transport had taken his Spirit to
himself. After this, he became more composed, and sank
to sleep. I watched over him. He seemed an angel slum-
bering in bliss. In the morning he was quite composed,
and in a heavenly frame of soul ; and really his countenance
and manner seemed as if his spirit had been absent from the
body and present with the Lord in paradise, where he had
heard unutterable things, and had just returned again to
this lower world of sin and sorrow. The great tide of rap-
ture had now subsided, and peace, joy, and love seemed to
breathe forth from him on all around."

Such are the immediate effects of a believed Gospel ! And
what it did for one it would do for all. It is as full of joy to
each of us. But we put the full cup of gladness from our
lips, and think it humility to taste it drop by drop ! It is
unbelief that mars our joy, and so misrepresents the glad
tidings as to strip them of all their joy. They would glad-
den were they but believed. But who hath believed our
report ?

No. 35. — The Power of the Gospel. 5

But take another instance of the power of the believed
Gospel. It is from the same volume. The individual re-
ferred to had been visited with sickness, and, until that,
had not only not known the Gospel, but nothing of the
Bible at all. God blessed the words of a dear friend to him
on his sick-bed, and the change was most wonderful. His
weakness prevented his being taught by man. But he was
taught from above, and grew rapidly in grace, manifesting
the most childlike simplicity and faith in God. It is said
of him, " His faith appeared to have no mixture of imper-
fection in it, for he simply and sincerely took for granted
all that God had said in his Word, and was astonished to
hear any of us express our want of assurance of faith or
conscious sense of our interest in Christ. This to him was
a mystery which we could never explain, and which, happily
for himself, he died in entire ignorance of."

Take another case, — that of Colonel Gardiner. He had
been arrested in his ungodliness by the voice of God, and
thrown into deep anguish. His deliverance came thus : —

"Within about two months after his first memorable
change he began to perceive some secret dawnings of more
cheerful hope — that, vile as he then saw himself to be, he
might nevertheless obtain mercy through a Redeemer ;
and at length, about the end of October, 1719, he found
all the burden of his mind taken off at once by the power-
ful impression of that memorable scripture upon his mind ;
(Rom. iii. 25, 26.) * Whom God hath set forth for a pro-
pitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteous-
ness for the remission of sins — that he might be just, and
the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus/

" He had used to imagine, that the justice of God required
the damnation of so enormous a sinner as he saw himself
to be ; but now he was made deeply sensible, that the di-
vine justice might be not only vindicated but glorified, in
saving him by the blood of Jesus, even that blood which
cleanseth from all sin. He was led to see the riches of re-
deeming love and grace, in such a manner as not only en-
gaged him, with the utmost pleasure and confidence, to
venture his soul upon them ; but even swallowed up (as it
were) his whole heart in the returns of love, which, from
that blessed time, became the genuine and delightful prin-
ciple of obedience, and animated him, with an enlarged
heart, to run the wavs of God's commandments. Thus

6 No. 35.— The Power of the Gospel.

God was pleased (as he himself used to speak) in an hour
to turn his captivity. All the terrors of his former state
were turned into unutterable joy. And though the first
ecstasies of it afterwards subsided into a more calm and
composed delight, yet were the impressions so deep and
so permanent, that he declared, on the word of a Christian
and a friend, wonderful as it might seem, that, for about
seven years after this, he enjoyed nearly a heaven upon
earth. His soul was almost continually filled with a sense
of the love of God in Christ ; so that from the time of his
waking in the morning, his heart was rising to God, and
triumphing in him."

Or take another less known. A naval officer was dis-
puting with a pious lady about the necessity of the Spirit's
teaching. He denied such a thing. She simply replied,
" It is so." " And while," says he, " the feeling was still
contemptuously curling my lip, in an instant it gave way
to a joy of heart, which I cannot describe in any other way
than by what would have been the state of my mind, if she
could have persuaded me that I had received the Holy
Spirit, and also that her assertions alluded to, were really
true. It was a clear and sensible perception of the love of
God in the work of Jesus Christ, without, however, being
able at the time of giving any definite reason for the con-
viction. But that was not called for at the time, as eye
saw not the effect, neither did ear hear it.

" We went in the afternoon to a chapel, where it pleased
the Lord that the clergyman should read and expound the
fifty- third chapter of Isaiah. Every sentence that he ut-
tered was as a river of living water poured into my soul.
It was then, for the first time in my fife, that I saw with the
spiritual eye that blessed being who ' was wounded for our
transgressions and bruised for our iniquities/ It was in
that hour that I saw a reconciled God in the Lord Jesus
Christ. O, it was a joy unspeakable and full of glory!
From that day a treasure in the book of the living God has
been unfolded to me, and on that day the seal was broken."

Or take again a remarkable instance recorded in the life
of Lady Huntingdon, — that of Dr Conyers, minister at
Helmsley, in the last century. He was almost a Socinian
when he began his ministry. His conversion was very re-
markable—

While reading the lesson for the day in the public ser-

No. 36.— The Power of the Gospel 7

vice at the church, the expression of St Paul (Eph. iii. 8)
— ' The unsearchable riches of Christ,' made a deep impres-
sion upon his mind. On this scripture he was involunta-
rily led to reflect — l The unsearchable riches of Christ !' —
1 1 never found, I never knew that there were unsearchable
riches in Him t Accustomed to consider the Gospel as
extremely simple and intelligible, he was surprised that the
Apostle should assert that the riches of Christ were un-
searchable. Immediately he concluded that his sentiments
and experience must be entirely dissimilar to that of the
Apostle. Deep convictions accompanied these reflections,
and his trouble was not a little increased by considering
that if he himself was wrong in the fundamental articles of
religion, he must also, by his mode of preaching, have mis-
guided his flock, to the great prejudice of their souls.

At length the sorrowful sighing of the prisoner is attend-
ed with success, and on the 25th of December, 1758, while
walking in his room, in a pensive frame, he was led to con-
template those two passages of Scripture, Heb. ix. 22 —
' Without shedding of blood there is no remission/ and
John i. 7 — ' The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin/ The mists of ignorance were instantaneously
dissipated, and finding that he could centre his hopes in
the atoning blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, he
became the immediate partaker of real and ineffable joy.

u I went up stairs and down again (said he,) backwards
and forwards in my room, clapping my hands for joy, and
crying out, / have found him — / have found him — / have
found him, whom my soul loveth, and for a little time, as
the Apostle said, whether in the body or out of it, I could
hardly tell."

Or take another striking narrative from the same work,
— the account of Lady Huntingdon's own conversion.
She was conversing one day with a relative, Lady Marga-
ret Hastings, who had been lately brought to Christ. This
lady told Lady H. that " since she had known and believed
in the Lord Jesus Christ she had been as happy as an an-
gel." This went like an arrow to her soul. Deep convic-
tion of sin followed. A dangerous illness deepened the
conviction, and her misery was great. At length she was
brought to rest on Christ, and found peace in believing —

Now the day began to dawn. Jesus the Sun of
Righteousness arose, and burst in meridian splendour on

8 No. 35.— The Power of the Gospel.

her benighted soul. The scales fell from her eyes, and
opened a passage for the light of life which sprang in, and
death and darkness fled before it. Viewing herself as a
brand plucked from the burning, she could not but stand
astonished at the mighty power of that grace which saved
her from eternal destruction, just when she stood upon its
very brink, and raised her from the gates of hell to the con-
fines of heaven ; and the depths from which she was raised,
made the heights which she had reached only the more
amazing ; she felt the rock beneath her, and from that se-
cure position looked with astonishment, downward, to that
horrible pit from which she was so mercifully delivered —
and upwards, in ecstasy, to that glory to which she should
be raised. The ' sorrow of the world, which worketh
death/ was now exchanged for that godly sorrow which
worketh repentance unto life ; and ' joy unspeakable, and
full of glory,' succeeded that bitterness that comes of the
conviction of sin ; she enjoyed, already, a delightful fore-
taste of heaven.

Or take the following brief account of the conversion of
Mr Mills, one of the great promoters of Missions to Ame-
rica—

The spiritual career of this devoted servant of Christ
and the church commenced in the following manner : When
about fifteen years of age, his attention was specially di-
rected to the great concerns of the soul. For two full years
he continued in a state of anxiety, quarrelling with the sove-
reignty of God, and often wishing that he had never been
born. One morning, as he was about to leave home, to re-
turn to school in a neighbouring town, his pious mother
took an opportunity of inquiring into the state of his mind,
and begged him to make an ingenuous disclosure of his
feelings.

For a moment he was silent, and wept ; but his heart
was too full long to suppress the emotions produced by so
affecting a request. He raised his head, and, with eyes
streaming with tears, exclaimed, ' O that I had never been
born ! O that I had never been born ! For two years I
have been sorry God ever made me.' What reply could
such a mother make to such a disclosure ? It was given
her in that same hour what she should speak : ' My son,'
said she, ' you are born, and you can never throw off your
existence, nor your everlasting accountability for all your

No. 35. — The Power of the Gospel. 9

conduct/ This heavy thought was like a dagger to his
soul. His mother expressed her fears that he had never
thoroughly seen the evil of his own heart, and that he had
much to learn before he was acquainted with himself: to
which he ventured to say, ' 1 have seen — to the very bottom
of hell !J With this frame of mind, he took a melancholy
leave of his parents for the winter.

The farewell to his mother drove her to her knees.
There is such a thing as special faith in prayer. It was
such to this dear saint, when she went to plead for her poor
son. She did not leave her closet, till she found the full re-
lief she sought, and till her mind was confidently assured
that God would remember mercy for her child ! On that
very morning, it pleased the Holy Ghost, as she afterwards
ascertained, to knock off the chains from this unhappy pri-
soner, and introduce him into the liberty of the sons of God !
He had not gone far, before he had such a view of the per-
fections of God, that he wondered he had never seen their
beauty and glory before. There was nothing in God now
which distressed him. He had lost all his opposition to the
Divine sovereignty ; and such were his views of this ador-
able perfection, that he could not refrain from exclaiming,
<0 glorious sovereignty ! O glorious sovereignty!' He re-
tired a small distance into the woods, that he might be the
more at liberty to contemplate the character of God, and
adore and extol his holy and amiable sovereignty : but he
here saw so much of God, that his mind was almost lost in
the overwhelming manifestation. The scene was altogether
new. There was a wonderful change either in God or in
him. Everything was gilded with light and glory ; and
now and then, as he gazed at the splendour and majesty of
the Divine character, he would still exclaim, ' O glorious
sovereignty !' It does not appear that in all this he was
bribed into acquiescence. His mind was so constantly
occupied in viewing the perfections of God, and in meditat-
ing on His word and works, and so continued for several
weeks, that he did not think of himself with any degree of
concern.

Or, lastly, take the following sketch of the conversion of
the famous Mr Fuller —

" One morning," says he, "I think in November, 1769,
I walked out by myself with an unusual load of guilt upon
my conscience. The remembrance of my sin, not only on

10 No. 35. — The Power of the Gospel.

the past evening, but for a long time back, the breach of
my vows, and the shocking termination of my former hopes
and affections, all uniting together, formed a burden which
I knew not how to bear. The reproaches of a guilty con-
science seemed like the gnawing worm of hell. I do not
write in the language of exaggeration. I now know that
the sense which I then had of the evil of sin and the wrath
of God, was very far short of the truth ; but yet it seemed
more than I was able to sustain. In reflecting upon my
broken vows, I saw that there was no truth in me. I saw
that God would be perfectly just in sending me to hell, and
that to hell I must g:, unless I were saved of mere grace,
and as it were in spite of iryself. I felt that if God were
to forgive me all my past sins, I should again destroy my
soul, and that in less than a day's time. I never before
knew what it was to feel myself an odious, lost sinner,
standing in need of both pardon and purification. I knew
not what to do ! In this state of mind, as I was moving
slowly on, I thought of the resolution of Job, ' Though he
slay me, yet will I trust in him.' I paused, and repeated the
words over and over. Each repetition seemed to kindle a ray
of hope, mixed with a determination, if I might, to cast my
perishing soul upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, to
be both pardoned and purified ; for I felt that I needed the
one as much as the other. In this way I continued above
an hour, weeping and supplicating mercy for the Saviour's
sake : (my soul hath it still in remembrance, and is hum-
bled in me !) and as the eye of the mind was more and more
fixed upon him, my guilt and fears were gradually and in-
sensibly removed. I now found rest for my troubled
soul.

" When I thought of my past life, I abhorred myself, and
repented as in dust and ashes ; and when I thought of the
gospel way of salvation, I drank it in as cold water is im-
bibed by a thirsty soul. My heart felt one with Christ, and
dead to every other object around me.

" From this time, my former wicked courses were for-
saken. I had no manner of desire after them. They lost
their influence upon me. To those evils, a glance at which
before would have set my passions in a flame, I now felt no
inclination. ' My soul' (said I, with joy and triumph) ' is
as a weaned child !' I now knew, experimentally, what it
was to be dead to the world by the cross of Christ, and to

No. 35. — Tlie Power of the Gospel. 11

feel an habitual determination to devote my future life to
God my Saviour."

Such are a few instances of the power of the Gospel.
They tend very strikingly to show both its ^eal nature and
its effects upon the soul when believed. From them let us
gather a few things.

1. The Gospel is just good news about God and his Son
Jesus Christ. It is not good news about myself, — but
simply and solely about God and Christ. It tells me of
the exceeding riches of the grace of God. It tells me that
there is salvation for me, — salvation to the uttermost through
the cross and blood of God's beloved Son.

2. We see that the believing of these good news brings
peace to the soul. It is not the believing, coupled with
something else in us ; — it is simply this believing that
gladdens. That which brings joy to the sinner is what the
Holy Spirit shews him in Christ. There he sees fulness, —
infinite fulness, — fulness most suitable for a sinner, — fulness
free to all, — fulness pressed upon him. And it is this that
gladdens him.

3. We see that it is in believing that there is joy and
peace. There is not merely joy as the fruit of believing,
but joy in believing. It is not joy as the result of examin-
ing my faith and summing up my evidences ; but it is joy
in believing. For in these instances there was no time for
evidences to manifest themselves, there was no time for
self-examination at all.

4. We see that there is no long period nor laborious pro-
cess required to be undergone before peace is obtained. In
some of these cases, indeed, there was a protracted time of
conviction ; but it is evident that the length of time had
nothing to do with the subsequent peace. It is clear from
these that the Gospel is fitted and designed to bring us
immediate peace, and if it does not do this the reason is
because it is not believed !

5. It is of the utmost moment to press an immediate sal-
vation upon the sinner. He is bent upon delay, and he
tries to make himself believe that forgiveness is something
far off, — something which he can only attain after a long
struggle of fears and doubts. Hence the necessity for in-
sisting upon the present peace which the Gospel is intended

12

No. 35. — The Power of the Gospel.

to bring, and to press upon the sinner's conscience the
urgent and imperative command of God, to believe without
one moment's delay. It is this urgency which the Holv
Spirit owns and blesses for the conversion of sinners, and
the comfort of the doubting. In nothing that God com-
mands does he admit of one moment's delay or hesitation
in obeying it, and woe be to us if we lead any sinner to
suppose that he is at liberty to wait one single moment be-
fore believing the Gospel.

It has been always Satan's object to cloud the Gospel,
so as to make it appear not to be the blessed gladdening
thing which it was in the days of the Apostles. And hence
there is a necessity for jealousy in regard to this. And it
is very useful to point back to some such instances of its
peace-giving power and say to all gainsay ers " such is the
Gospel." See its nature ; — see its freeness ; — see its fruits ;
— see the peace it brings.

" Now the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in
believing that we may abound in hope, through the power
of the Holy Ghost."

Kelso, October, 1845.

[series to be continued.]

Kelso: John Rutherfurd, Market Place.

Edinburgh : J. Johnstone ; W. P. Kennedy ; and C. Ziegler.

London. J. Nisbet&Co. Carlisle: J. F. Whitridge.

Price 4s. 6d. per 100.

PRINTED AT THE BORDER WATCH OFFICE, GALASHIELS.

[No. 36.
TRIBULATION.

14 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten : Be zealous, therefore,
and repent."— Rev . III. 19.

The washing of a vessel supposes that there is some soil
or stain upon it which requires to be removed. There
would be no need for washing were it not for this. It
would be labour lost to him who washes, and, perchance,
also serious injury to the vessel.

The casting of gold or silver into the furnace implies
that there is dross upon them to be thus purged out by fire.
There would be no need for fire, or furnace, or refiner's
labour, were there no dross. It is the dross that makes
the necessity for these. They are but means for getting
quit of it.

So with chastisement. It supposes sin. Were it not
for sin, chastisement would be unknown. In heaven there
is no chastisement, for there is no sin. Angels know no-
thing of it, for they know no sin. And in the coming
Kingdom, when all things are made new, there shall be no
chastisement, for there shall be no sin. It is only where
there is sin that there is chastisement. There being such
a thing as chastisement on earth, is just God saying, " I
have found iniquity there." And God's sending chastise-
ment to an individual, is just his saying, " I have seen sin
in thee."

But more than this. Chastisement implies a determination
to get quit of sin. It is not merely God's saying there is sin
on thee, but also his adding, " I must purge it away ; I can-
not allow it to remain on thee." It is God's expression of his
deep interest in us and his paternal anxiety for our welfare.
To make us clean is what he seeks ; and this he is resolved
to accomplish at any cost. It must be done, for he is
holy. It must be done, for he loveth us. Sin must be
got quit of whatever pain or sorrow it may require to
effect it. What is pain if it expels sin ? What is sorrow if
it purges away the evil of our nature, or a lifetime's ga-
thered dross ?

But chastisement is something more peculiar still. In

j. rutherfurd's series of tracts.

2 No. 3Q.—Trihalation.

one sense, it may be said that all the woes and wretched-
ness of earth are intended to drive men from their sins.
God is thus speaking to all. He is thus warning all. He
is pleading with men to turn from iniquity and seek his
face. He embitters all sin, — he embitters all pleasure, —
he fastens sorrow upon everything beneath the sun, that he
may lead men to repentance and salvation. In this general
way he is addressing all. To every sinner upon the broad
earth he is speaking and sa}ring " Turn ye, turn ye, for
why will ye die." Every pang that shoots through the
frame, and makes the flesh to quiver, is a message from
God. Every sorrow that shades the brow and saddens the
eye is a message from God to a sinning, suffering world.
They speak to sinners not only of the holiness of God, but
of the exceeding riches of his grace and of his deep and
affectionate interest in their welfare.

But, strictly speaking, this is not chastisement. Chas-
tisement is something more special and peculiar in its na-
ture and design than this. It is the strictly paternal
dealing of God with the members of his own redeemed
family. It takes for granted the family relationship. It i
a family word, — a household name. For thus the Apostl
teaches us : — " Ye have forgotten the exhortation which
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not
thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art
rebuked of him ; for whom the Lord loveth he chastenetli,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth ; but if ye be
without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are
ye bastards and not sons." (Heb. xii. 5-8.)

There is then a necessity for chastisement. It is part of
the children's portion here. It is the family discipline, and
no member of the redeemed family from the beginning has
ever been without it in some measure or form. It is one of
the family badges, and as such has been worn from gene-
ration to generation by all the children. Not that they
are a sad and wretched company. No : They " greatly
rejoice, even though now if need be, they are in heaviness
through manifold temptation." There is no joy like theirs, no
peace like theirs. Yet they have sorrow too. There is the tear
in the eye, even when the calm smile is playing round the
lip, and peace is shedding the serenity of its sunshine over
the countenance. Their life is, as to most outward things, a
sorrowful one ; but as to what is inward, it is full of peace.
They are forgiven ; and that is peace. They are accepted

No. 36. — Tribulation. 5

in the beloved ; and that is peace. They are delivered
from a present evil world ; and that is peace. They have
a rich inheritance in reversion ; and that is peace. Yet
have they fightings without and fears within : they are
" sorrowful, yet always rejoicing ; poor, yet making many
rich ; having nothing, and yet possessing all things/'

Yes, chastisement is their lot on earth. It is through
much tribulation that they must enter the kingdom of
heaven. " Many are the afflictions of the righteous."

Now, why is this ? We are sure it is not in vain. God
sends no needless sorrow to any of his children ; he afrlict-
eth not willingly. It pains him to do it, if we may thus
speak after the manner of men. Why, then, does he afflict ?
Let us inquire into this. It much concerns us to under-
stand this aright. For affliction misunderstood by the
sufferer becomes doubly bitter and piercing. It then be-
comes not only unalleviated, but unprofitable sorrow.

Chastisement springs from love, — the deep love of God.
Let us never forget this. It is love that fills and presents
to us the cup of sorrow. Whether it is of mingled or un-
mingled bitterness, still it is love that pours it out : — the
bitter as much as the sweet. The love that lets the child
alone to do as he pleases is foolish love, if, indeed, it can be
called love at all. But the love that restrains and chas-
tises is deep, wise, tender love. It is from the very bottom
of the loving heart that chastisement comes. Chastening
love is, in truth, the deepest and most self-denying of all.
Hence it shows us how much God is in earnest with us.
It shows us what pains he is taking to bless us. It is in
affliction that we see the strength and the earnestness of
the love of God. This of itself may be enough to lead us
to acquiesce in his dealings as all right and wise, — to say
M it is well ;" " it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth to
him good ;" shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord,
and shall we not receive evil ? But still it is well to inquire
more particularly into God's reasons for afflicting, — the ends
he has in view in bringing us under the rod. For thus we
shall not only be more fully satisfied that " all is well/' but
also learn particularly the lessons which God is seeking to
teach us.

I. Tribulation proves us. We really do not know our-
selves till trial comes. Of many a sin and many a weak-
ness we are utterly ignorant till affliction brings them out

4 No. 3§.— Tribulation.

and exposes them to view. It was for this end that God
led Israel into the wilderness to try them and to know
what was in their hearts. Their desert-trials proved them,
that is, put them to the proof. And when thus proved,
what iniquity was found in them that had lain hidden and
unknown before ! The trial did not create the evil ; it did
not make their hearts worse than before. It merely
brought out what was there already, but had been lying
unseen and unfelt, like a sleeping serpent. When Israel
was thus tried, what worldliness came out ; what unbelief ;
what rebellious murmuring against God ; what atheism and
idolatry; what self-will, self-confidence, and self- pleasing !
They could not have believed that such wickedness could
be found in them, or that if their hearts did contain such
evil, it could have lain concealed so long. Yet it never
came out till then.

So with the saints still. God chastises them that he may
prove them and bring out the evil that is within. And
when the trial comes what a difference it makes ! The flesh,
the old man, is cut to the quick, and forthwith arouses itself.
When it was asleep, we did not know its strength and vi-
tality ; but now that it has been wakened up, how fearful
its still-remaining might ! The wind rises, the storm drives
o'er us, the billows heave, and soon we know that we are
but a troubled sea, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
When all was calm, there seemed nought but purity, and
ripple folded over ripple in the brightness of their transpa-
rent green. But the tempest stirs the depths, and all is
changed. So with the soul even of the saints in its hours
of tribulation and storm. The hidden evils come forth.
Sins scarcely known before display themselves. The heart
pours out its wickedness. Hard thoughts of God arise.
Atheistical murmurings break out. Questionings both of
his wisdom and his love are muttered. Distrust and unbe-
lief assume the mastery. And what a scene the wretched
soul presents ! All this was in us before, but we knew it
not. It was needful that we should know it, and hence
God sent the trial to bring it out. And thus are we led,
on the one hand, into deeper views of our own exceeding
sinfulness, and into fuller discoveries of the abounding \
grace of God. We learn to prize more than ever the open
fountain ; and to shelter ourselves with more confident se-
curity under the righteousness of the righteous One.
Thus the Lord proved Job. He let loose the tempter :

No. 3C— Tribulation. 5

Ho sent tribulation. And straightway the hidden evils
of his heart come forth, — impatience, unbelief, self-right-
eousness. Then when the Lord has showed him these
tilings, and led him to deeper views of sin, when he has
searched him through and through, and made him to abhor
himself; then he leads him to the blood of sprinkling, and
sheds down anew the brightness of his gracious counte-
nance, filling him with the joys of his salvation, and lifting
up his head for ever.

II. Tribulation purges us. To be proved is one thing,
to be purged is another. It is good to have the evil
brought out, but it is better to have it taken away. The
heat of the furnace burns out the dross, and leaves the gold
behind. Now this is God's wish and aim. As he says to
Israel so he speaks to us, " I will turn my hand upon thee,
and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy
tin." Is. i. 25. And, again, " when the Lord shall have
washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall
have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof
by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning."
Is. iv. 4.

Now there is not only much in us that requires to be
taken away, but much that will yield to nothing, save chas-
tisement. Other processes of discipline may remove a great
deal, yet still there remains behind very much which no-
thing but trial and suffering will purge away. Some parts
of the stone to be polished are so hard and rough, that
heavy strokes are needed to smoothe them down. They
resist every milder kind of treatment.

In some, worldliness is so strong that chastisement is
needed. In others it is simply love of the creature. In
others it is pride that needs to be abased. In others it is
selfishness that needs to be eradicated. In others it is stub-
bornness and stoutness of heart. In others it is the desire
of the honour that cometh from men, — man's love, man's
approbation, man's smile. In others some idol needs to be
broken in pieces. In others some creature comfort needs
to be taken away lest we should settle down and be at ease.
In others strong passions need to be broken down, or a
froward will needs to be bent and subdued. These are
some of the evils that need to be purged out of us. For
the accomplishment of this, sometimes the trial is short, but
sharp and pointed, going into the very vitals like a sword.

G

No. 36. — Tribulation.

Sometimes it is long, protracted, heavy, bruising and
crushing us with its weary ever-pressing weight. Differ-
ent processes are required, some longer and some shorter ;
some a sudden stroke of the rod, others a continual thorn
in the flesh : — some a quick cutting off of the diseased
member, others a long-running issue to carry off the deep-
seated malady. Yet all is wise and all is gracious. Love
is the prompter in all, and perfect skill is the director of
each operation or each blow. To deliver us from sin, and
to make us partakers of his holiness, is God's one object
throughout. Oh ! deep deep must be the love which takes
such pains with us. It is love of which we are altogether
unworthy. Who are we that God should so deal with us?
Surely if we are not worthy of comfort and prosperity,
much less are we worthy of affliction.

III. Tribulation rebukes us. " As many as I love I rebuke
and chasten." It is God's way of pointing out what he sees
amiss in us, calling our attention to it and condemning it.
It is his way of saying, " I have somewhat against thee," or
" I have not found thy works perfect before God." The
rebuke of God is a solemn thing. It cannot be called anger,
or a frown, or punishment ; all these have passed away ;
from all these we are delivered for ever. Yet still there is
something in the rebuke of God that should make us stand
in awe. He rebukes the world, and it trembles and flees
away in terror. But when he rebukes his saints, it is that
they may draw near, though with reverence and godly fear.
A parent's rebuke is much to a loving child, how much
more is the rebuke of our God !

He administers many rebukes, some lighter, some severer.
To the former especially we often give but little heed.
The touch of transient pain ; a few days' illness ;■ a slight
indisposition ; a passing weakness ; some common domestic
care or vexation ; the severance of friendship ; some short
parting from one we love ; some unkindness where least we
looked for it ; some disappointment on which we were not
calculating ; — these are his fatherly rebukes. I do not
here speak of the sharper and sorer ones, for we are not
so apt to overlook them. They force themselves upon our
notice. We cannot mistake them. But these briefer,
commoner, slighter ones need to be pointed out ; for they
are so little recognized, so much undervalued or unheeded,
as if the hand of God was not in each one of them ; as if,

No. 36. — Tribulation. 7

because they were so slight, so mild, so gentle, they were
not to be owned as the laying on of a father's hand, but casual
things, coming and going, we kno^f not how or why.

I feel that this is a much-needed admonition to the saints
of God, for the point adverted to is a much neglected one.
Our continual tendency is to overlook any slight ailment
or trouble as not worth noticing, and as not coming from
God. We are thrown into a raging fever, till our life is
despaired of; and in this we do not hesitate to own the
finger of God. We take a slight cold or sustain some
slight injury ; and here the finger of God is oftentimes not
perceived at all. The gentleness of the rebuke makes us
forget that it comes from God ! Strange ! Should not its
gentleness call forth immediate thanksgiving. Should not
its gentleness be accepted as a new token of paternal love
and care '?

Ah it is thus that we provoke God to inflict heavier
blows. We compel him to send the heavier chastisement
by our inattention to the lighter. We make bitter trial
absolutely necessary. We bring it upon ourselves. How
gently God rebukes for a while ! If we may speak after the
manner of men, he just hints or whispers his reproof. He
is most unwilling to chastise with severity. He tarries
long. He tries other means. He sends milder trials, that
we may be led to self-searching and repentance, and thus
he will be spared the necessity of inflicting a heavier blow.
But we trifle with his gentle rebukes, till he is constrained
to lift up his voice and speak in a tone which can neither
be mistaken nor overlooked. Oh how sad that we should
thus, by our heedlessness and perversity, draw down upon us
sorrows winch God would fain have spared us ! Let us learn
the meaning and the use of small trials ; — of slight rebukes.
Let us count none too small or slight for our most serious
thought. It will save us much. It will teach us many a
blessed lesson in an easy, pleasant, gentle way.

IV. Tribulation arouses us. We often fall asleep. We
dwell on the world's enchanted ground, and often, ere we
are aware, we are soothed to sleep, forgetful of the quick
passing time. And while we sleep, all goes wrong, Our
faith waxes feeble ; our love is chilled ; our zeal cools down.
We lose our earnestness, our boldness, our energy, our
freshness, our simplicity. All our movements are those
of a man but half-awake. Our schemes are carelessly

8 No. 36.— Tribulation.

formed and drowsily carried into effect. With how many
in our day is it thus ?

But God will not have it so. He cannot allow such in-
dolence and listlessness in his work. Such sloth makes but
poor work either in a man's own soul or in his efforts for
the souls of others. We must be awakened at whatever
cost. He does it gently first. He causes us to hear some
distant noise ; — it may be the tumults of the nations, or it
may be the tidings of some terrible disaster afar off. He
means by this to awaken us out of our sleep. Perhaps
this fails. Then he comes nearer and makes his voice to
be heard in our own neighbourhood or within the circle of
our kindred. This surely will arouse us ! Perhaps not.
Then he comes nearer still, for he cannot allow us to slum-
ber away our precious hours. He speaks into our very
ears. He smites us upon some tender part, till every fibre
of our frame quivers, and every pulse beats quicker. Then
we start up and wonder how we slept so long. But oh !
how difficult is it sometimes to awake us ! It takes many
a stroke before we are thoroughly aroused.

Ah! let us beware of the world's enchanted ground.
Many a saint has fallen asleep on it, and only been awak-
ened by severest chastisement. Let us beware of sloth and
ease, lest, being led on from step to step, we be overtaken
by sleep which may yet cost us a bleeding, — it may be,
almost a broken heart.

V. Tribulation solemnizes us. It is a gay world in which
we live, and we are prone to fall into its levity. Around
us are the sights and sounds of mirth by which a vain world
is seeking to cheat away its ever-fretting uneasiness, or
drown its deeper sorrows. Oftentimes the saints seem to
catch the tone of levity and frivolity, making mirth with the
most mirthful, jesting with the most foolish, singing the
world's songs of vanity, and joining in its idle words, as if
its friendships and its pleasures were not forbidden things.
Apart, however, from the contagion of the world's influence,
our tone is apt to fall low, and our deportment to lose that
solidity and seriousness which becometh saints. We get
light and airy ; we give way to the current of vain
thoughts ; we do not set a guard upon our lips ; foolish
talking and jesting is too much indulged in, even among
the children of God. Our words are not " with grace
seasoned with salt." We forget the admonition " let no

No. 36.— Tribulation. 9

corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that
which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace to the hearers." And this levity, this frivolous habit,
grows upon us. Seriousness becomes a thing reserved
entirely for the closet or the sanctuary. We grieve the
Holy Spirit, who cannot dwell amid levity and mirth any
more than amid profanity and crime. He retires from us,
driven from his abode by the laughter and jesting with
which we were making it resound. He can no longer
dwell in a temple which, from being the house of God, we
have turned into a hall of revelry, a haunt of mirth and
song.

I do not mean that the saint is ever, even for a moment,
to be gloomy. Gloom and melancholy are not the inmates
of a soul that has tasted the joy of pardon, and is walking
with a reconciled God in blessed light and love. No. He
rejoices " with joy unspeakable and full of glory." But still,
as has been well said, " true joy is a serious thing." True
joy is deep. It is the waking up of the heart's deep springs.
Mirth and levity are not joy. They are too shallow and
empty to deserve the name. All is hollow. In coming to
him who is the fountain of all gladness, the saint of God
bids farewell to gloom. Tribulation he may have, but not
gloom. That has left him for ever, since first he knew the
Saviour and opened his ears to the joyful sound. Peace is
now his heritage. It is not so much as if joy were abiding
in him as if he were abiding in joy. It is not so much as
if joy were poured into him as if his heart were ever pouring
itself out into a vessel of joy ; so deep, so calm, and so
abiding is the gladness of the redeemed of the Lord.

But still it is not levity that is their portion ; it is joy.
And this joy is not only far superior to this vain mirth, but
it is utterly inconsistent with it This levity is as much
an enemy to real joy as it is to holiness and spirituality.
Hence it must be rooted out of them. God cannot suffer
it in his children. His desire is that they should be holy.
This element of earthliness must be purged out. They
must be made solemn and thoughtful. For this end he
sends affliction. In a moment, perhaps, he smites him to
the earth; or by some more slow but withering crushing ca-
lamity, he purges out the foolishness that had wrought
itself into their inmost bein^. His purpose is to make
them thoughtful, serious and solemn. And what he sends
to them is fitted to make them think, and that in a way in

10 No. 36.— Tribulation.

which they have never done before. The blow he inflicts
lays them down in the dust. It in a moment puts to flight
all levity. It withdraws them from an airy shadowy world,
and sends them into the very inmost recesses of their spi-
ritual being, or forward to the infinite eternity whose vast-
ness and reality they had been little heeding. It brings
them into contact with solid certainties, and that makes
them thoughtful. It brings them acquainted with sorrow,
and sorrow drives off all levity. Sorrow and levity keep
no companionship. Affliction awakens them to a sense of
their selfishness. They look around them and see, as for
the first time, the world they live in, with all its sins and
sufferings. They had seen these before, but now they seem
quite new and clothed with a reality which had hitherto
been unfelt. It is through sorrow that we see truth best.
It is when seen through this sad medium that all objects
assume their right proportions. Shadows then evaporate ;
realities compass it about. And realities make us solemn.
It is shadows that make us light and vain.

Thus God solemnizes his saints, and brings them, in this
respect, into closer sympathy with the mind of Christ.
All was solemnity with him. And the nearer we are brought
to resemble him, the more will this calm, this blessed, this
happy solemnity possess us. We shall live solemn lives
and do solemn deeds. Our looks and tones will be all so-
lemn. We shall be earnest men ; men who have no relish
for levity, because it is so incompatible with the deep peace
which is their portion, and who have no time for it, because
eternity is so near.

VI. Tribulation quickens prayer. It sends us to our
knees. In the day of prosperity a man has many refuges ;
in the day of trial but one, and that is God. To this re-
fuge he betakes himself. Prayer, perhaps, was something
to him before, now it is all. Man's arm has failed, and
there is none to lean upon but God. Prayer becomes now
a far more real thing than ever. Its value and its import-
ance are seen in a new light. It is prized now as it never
was prized before.

We cannot do without it. Of necessity we must now
pray, and send up our cries from the depths. It is
real asking, a real pleading now. As a mere form it has
passed away. What new life, new energy, new earnest-
ness are poured into each petition ! It is the heart now that

No. 3(5. — Tribulation. 11

is speaking, and the lips cannot find w ords wherewith to
give utterance to its desires. The groanings that cannot
be uttered are all that burst forth and ascend up into the
ear of God.

There is new nearness to God now. It is close dealing
with him now. New arguments suggest themselves wherewith
to plead ; new desires spring up ; new wants disclose them-
selves. God's fulness and our own emptiness are brought
before us so vividly that our soul's longings are kindled, and
our heart crieth out for God, for the living God, as the
hart panteth for the water-brooks, so we are made to pant
after God. It was David's sorrows that quickened prayer
in him. It was in the belly of the whale that Jonah was
taught to cry aloud. And it was among the thorns and in
the fetters of Babylon that Manasseh learned to pray.

Such are a few of the blessings that flow from chastise-
ment. Only a few have been mentioned, yet there are many.
And this the saint knows. Each sorrow brings with it its
own train of blessings ; and thus, though not joyous but
grievous, it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

But in all this we must see a father's love. We shall lose
much of the benefit of trial, perhaps all of it, if this is over-
looked. It is out of the deep love of Him who gave for us
his only begotten Son that sorrow flows down to us. Let
us ever rest on this. He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things ? And surely the blessings of chas-
tisement are among these " all things." All things work
together for our good. Love can do us no wrong. That
is a blessed impossibility. In all that it sends of suffering
it is only opening new channels in which to pour itself into
us, as well as deepening and enlarging the vessel that it
may contain the more. Every sorrow not only is the proof
of love, but draws after it larger streams of love. It is love
making way for itself because the place is too narrow. The
inflicting of the wound is love ; much more the healing of
it. Surely all is love. There is no unkindness, no harshness,
no inattention to our feelings, no needless causing of grief.

Beloved, " it is well." We could not do without affliction.
We should neither know ourselves nor God. The depths
of his varied love would be as a sealed spring, He wants to
teach us all his love. He is seeking for occasions to show
it ; and if he cannot find them, he must make them, rather
than that we should not taste the riches of his immeasurable

12 No. 36.— Tribulation.

love. And shall we call him unkind for this ? Shall we
have hard and rebellious thoughts of him for this ? Shall
we count it a wrong done to us to have new streams of love
flowing in upon us which sorrow has opened ? Shall wo
shrink from that which opens up to us more of the Father's
heart ?

Who can tell or measure the deep love which chastise-
ment implies ? We may, perhaps, be able to measure the
love which sends us days of gladness, — but the love which
draws the cloud of sorrow over our skies is too deep to be
measured or weighed. God's interest in our welfare is to
be seen in everything that he bestows ; but most of all in
his chastisements. How deep must his interest be, how
affectionate, how tender, when, in order to secure our wel-
fare, to make us holier, and to add to the weight of our
crown hereafter, he can consent 'to send suffering upon
those whom he loves so well. This is love, — paternal love,
in its truest kindest form.

Beloved, " it is well." Let us learn, then, to " glory in
tribulation." The world, perhaps, submits to it, but it is
ours to glory in it. The world tries to bear up under it ;
but it is ours to give thanks for it. The world may try to
get over it as an evil that cannot be helped ; let us know
how good it is to be afflicted. He who is infinitely wise
and loving calls it good, and shall not we ?

Beloved, " it is well." We are not worthy of affliction.
We are not worthy that God should take such pains with
us to prepare us for his kingdom. Yet he does so. And
he will continue to do so to his chosen ones ; for it is
through much tribulation that they must pass to the King-
dom. And in this let us " greatly rejoice, though now for
a season, if need be, we are in heaviness through manifold
temptations, that the trial of our faith being much more
precious than of gold that pcrisheth, though it be tried with
fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at
the appearing of Jesus Christ."

Kelso, January, 1846.

[series to be continued.]

KELSO:

JOHN RUTHERFURD, MARKET PLACE.

EDINBURGH: J. JOHNSTONE; W.P.KENNEDY; AND C. ZIEGLER.

LONDON: J. NISBET & Co. CARLISLE: J. F. WHITRIDGE.

Price 4s. 6d. per 100.

PRINTED AT THE EORDER WATCH OFFICE, GALASHIELS.

[No. 37.
GRACE AND GLORY.

The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for
that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and ou r
Saviour Jesus Christ."— Tit us II. 11.

The Apostle first speaks of grace in connection with pre-
sent holiness, and then he speaks of it in connection with
future glory. He first speaks of it in reference to the first
coming of the Lord, and then in reference to the second.

The condition into which grace brings us is that of a
pardoned, reconciled sinner ; the character into which grace
fashions us is that of holiness ; the attitude in which grace
places us is that of expectation for Christ's second coming.
The last of these three results is just as natural and necessary
a fruit of grace as either of the former two. The same grace
that teaches us to look back to the first coming of the Sa-
viour, teaches us also to look forward to his second ; as the
Apostle elsewhere declares, " Ye turned to God from idols
to serve the living and the true God, and to wait for his
Son from Heaven," 1 Thess. i. 9, 10 ; and in the passage
which we have placed at the commencement of this tract,
he states most strongly the connection between " salvation
by grace" and " looking for the blessed hope." The mo-
ment a sinner has found this pardoning grace that flows
out to him from the cross of Christ, he longs to fling him-
self into the arms of that Saviour who has opened for him
this precious stream.

The great truth which the Apostle announces to us in the
above passage is, that grace received necessarily leads us to
expect and desiro Christ's second coming. Such is the effect
of grace, — the certain result of a believed gospel, — a gospel
which brings to us the certainty of forgiveness and the con-
scious possession of eternal life. The Apostle does not say
that this grace may lead us to long for the coming of Christ,
but must lead us, as its designed and inevitable consequence.
We do not merely say it leads us to believe in Christ's com-
ing, but to expect it, to desire it, to look for it, to love it.

j. Rutherford's series of tracts.

2 No. 37. — Grace and Glory.

Nor do we say that grace leads us to long for death. Scripture
does not teach us that ; it is that " blessed hope," even the
" glorious appearing" of the Lord, that it sets before our
eye. Nor do we say that grace leads us to desire the spi-
ritual presence of Christ. No ; his spiritual presence is not
a matter of hope or expectation, but of present and certain
possession, as he himself has said — "Lo I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world." This spiritual
presence is the believer's present inheritance and joy, but
his visible and glorious presence is as yet but the object of
hope. That hope, no doubt, is a certain one, which " mak-
eth not ashamed," but still it refers to things unseen as yet.
Our inference, then, from the passage at the head of tin's
tract is, as we have already stated, that grace truly received
necessarily leads us to look for and desire Christ's second
and " glorious appearing" as a " blessed hope." And that
this is really the Apostle's meaning is manifest from many
similar passages of Scripture. There is 1 Th. i. 10, already
quoted ; there is, also, 1 Cor. i. 7, " So that ye come
behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ :" Phil. iii. 20, " Our conversation is in heaven,
from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus
Christ ;" Heb. ix. 28, " To them that look for him shall
he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation," &c.
&e. Such passages sufficiently confirm our inference. But
now we ask, perhaps, " Why is it so ?" Why does grace
thus lead us forward necessarily to the second coming of the
Lord ? To this we answer : —

I. Because this grace unites us to Christ, and this union,
once begun, necessarily leads us to press forward to its full
consummation. This consummation can only be when we
see him as he is — eye to eye, and face to face. When the
soul is set in motion toward Christ, it cannot rest till it has
fully beheld him — till, like aged Simeon, it has grasped
within its arms the object of its fond desire. Faith can do
much, but still it is not sight. Nay, the stronger that faith
becomes, the more intensely does it quicken within us the
desire for sight. To feel that we are His, and that He is
ours, and yet not to feel the weariness and bitterness of ab-
sence, ivould be strange indeed. To say " I am my beloved's,
and my beloved is mine," and yet not to desire to behold
him, nor to long for his personal vision and embrace, would
be an inconsistency which, in human friendships, would be

No. 37. — Grace and Clory. y

reckoned a confession of insincerity and estrangement.
Love draws us to the beloved object ; with nothing short
of that will it be content. If it can be content with less, it
is not love at all.

But it may be said, have we not Christ's spiritual pre-
sence, and is not that all we need ? We answer, — Christ's
spiritual presence is much indeed, but still it is not all that
God has promised to his Church, and therefore we cannot
be content with it alone. It was never designed to super-
sede his risible presence, nor to interfere with the blessed
hope of his risible return. Nay, the more his spiritual pre-
sence is realized, the greater will be the longings for his
actual appearance. It is the experience of his spiritual pre-
sence that ichets the appetite for his personal return. For
thus the soul reasons, — " this spiritual fellowship with Christ
is declared to be but the earnest of the future reality ; and
if the mere earnest be so glorious, what must be the per-
sonal communion and full-eyed vision ?" The closer, then,
the present union, the more ardent will be the desire for the
perfection of that union at the coming of the Lord.

II. Because even this grace itself is only begun, and is not
to be fully opened up till the day of the Lord. This I
gather from such passages as these, 1 Peter i. 13., " Gird
up the loins of your mind ; be sober, and hope to the end,
for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revela-
tion of Jesus Christ.," and Ephes. ii. 7., " That in the ages
to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." This is
emphatically the dispensation of grace, and yet it is only the
commencement of that grace, now manifesting itself. Here
we have grace in large and overflowing measure, — yet the
full reserve of grace is yet to come. It awaits us at the
Coming of the Lord, for not only is there in store for us
against that great day, the exceeding eternal wsight of
glory, — but the full manifestation of grace itself is reserved
till then. Is this grace then that bringeth salvation, so
precious, so desirable now ? How very precious, how very
desirable then ought to be its full developement and
brightness unobscured ? How much to be desired and
longed for, the day of its grand revelation ! It is grace
itself then that teaches us to look for the blessed hope cf
the Saviour's glorious appearing.

But some will sav, " What does this future manifestation

%4 No. 37. — Grace and Glory.

of grace concern us, if we can only secure that which is
present ; — if I get grace to save me, what need I care for
aught beyond this f Now mark the meaning of such a
sentiment. (1.) It is saying, that provided you are saved
you take no interest in the glory of your God. You care
for his grace only because it saves you, not because it
glorifies him. You care only to know as much of God and
his purposes as will save you. That accomplished, every-
thing else is to you a matter of minor interest. Such a
sentiment from one who is " not his own, but bought with
a price !" (2.) It is saying that, provided your salvation is
secured, your sanctification is a less material thing. If the
other is only secured, that can stand over ! You know not
how much, — how very much your sanctification depends on
the assured hope of these future realities. You are as
much bound to believe all that will sanctify as all that will
save ! Besides, is a man really in a state of salvation who
is not eagerly seizing hold of everything that will advance
his holiness ? The probabilities are that he is not. (3.)
It is saying that you are never to leave the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, and to go on unto perfection, that you
are to be always laying again the foundation of repentance
from dead works, &c, which the Apostle so strongly con-
demns, Heb. vi. 1, &c.

III. Because the knowledge of Christ which this grace
gives us makes us long to see him face to face. " Whom
having not seen ye love, and in whom, though now ye
see him not, yet believing, &c, says the Apostle Peter. This
love to a Saviour unseen makes us long for the nearer, closer
fellowship of a Saviour seen. His being unseen does not
prevent us loving him, but our loving him unseen does not
lessen our desire to see him " as he is." It is the believing
perception of an absent invisible Saviour that quickens our
desire to see him " face to face." He is said to be " fairer
than tne children of men," " altogether lovely." This is
the report we have heard regarding him, and this report of
his surpassing comeliness only makes us long the more to see
him. " They shall see his face," is the crowning blessed-
ness of the new Jerusalem (Rev. xxii. 4.) Do you really
believe the report, and do you not desire to see the king in
his beauty ? As good old Samuel Rutherford said, " I
often challenge time which holdeth us asunder ; I half call
his absence cruel, and the veil upon his face a cruel cover-

No. 37. — Grace and Glory. 5

ing that hideth a fair fair face from a sick soul.... I dare not
challenge himself, but his absence is like a mountain of iron
upon my heavy heart." Does this saint's experience ac-
cord with yours ? Do his expressions of desire to meet his
returning Lord call forth the sympathies of your longing
hearts ?

Some may say, " What does it matter to me when I see
Christ, if I know that I am his, and receive assurances of
his love." Ah ! but would you say so of an absent friend
or brother. Would that friend believe you really loved
him if he heard you speaking in this manner ? Is not this
way of speaking an ill-concealed disguise, an awkward apo-
logy for the coldness of a heart whose love beats with low
and languid pulse ? What would you think of a wife say-r
ing of her absent husband, " What does it matter ichen I
see my husband, if I know that I am his, and receive daily
letters from him signed with his own hand?" Would you
think her love to be " strong as death ?" Would you not
think she took the matter with a cool complacency which
argued either wonderful composure or wonderful indiffer-
ence ? In the case of a faithful loving wife, would not every
communication of her husband's love only make her long
more anxiously to meet him, to weary more impatiently for his
return ? Or take the case of the disciples when Christ was
parting from them. According to some, this parting would
be a matter of perfect indifference. They had already his
spiritual presence and the promise of its continuance, and
what cause had they to mourn his personal absence ? Yet
they were loath to part with their beloved Master. Not
to hear the sound of his familiar voice ; not to be cheered
by the smile of his gracious countenance, was matter of no
common sorrow : — and " their hearts were troubled." This
parting was a trying event ; his absence was a sore priva-
tion, and accordingly his concluding hours were spent in
administering to their comfort. Was that comfort useless ?
According to some it must have been so, if his absence was
no trial. But if it was necessary to them, is it not as ne-
cessary to us ? And yet many of us seem to require no
such comfort at all ; for his absence never seems to cost us
one sorrowful thought, nor his return one longing desire.
Our feelings ought surely to be the same with his weeping
disciples. We cannot be wrong in mourning his absence,
and wearying for his return, when not only we read that
his disciples thus mourned and longed, but, when we re-

6 No. 37. — Grace and Glory.

member that the inspired prayer of that disciple who knew
him best, and loved him most, who had leaned on his bosom
and had most of his spiritual presence, was still the prayer
of one who wanted something more, who could not be sa-
tisfied with anything but his return. Even so Lord Jesus
come quickly !

IV. Our fourth reason for saying that this grace neces-
sarily leads us to desire the coming of the Lord is, be-
cause it opens up to us all the corruptions of our
inner man, and makes us groan by reason of this body of
sin and death. Many of our corruptions and temptations
are from the external world, and a spiritual coming will
not remove these, however much it fortify us against them :
— And it is "their existence that makes us groan, not merely
their prevalence. Others of our corruptions are from
Satan, the prince of this world, and a spiritual coming to
us will not bind him. Others are from a body of mortality,
and a spiritual coming will not redeem the body, for, says
the apostle, (Rom. viii. 23,) "we ourselves groan within our-
selves, waiting for the adoption, viz. the redemption of the
body." This " vile body" will still continue vile, till it be
changed at the coming of the Lord, and fashioned like unto
his own glorious body (Phil. iii. 20, 21.) Then, and not
till then, will it cease to tempt us. Then, and not till then,
will it cease to be to us the source of manifold corruptions,
the prison-house of earthly bondage. Till then we " groan,
being burdened, not for that we would be unclothed (i. e.
not that we long for the disembodied state, the separation
of soul from body,) but clothed upon, (with the house not
made with hands, the glorious body,) that mortality may
be swallowed up of life," (2 Cor. v. 4.) And this groaning
creation will continue still to groan, — still to tempt,
still to weary us,~till He who hath subjected the same in
hope, shall come to lift off the curse, and deliver it from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children
of God" (Rom. viii. 21.) And Satan, too, will continue to
be the God of this world, the prince of the power of the
air, until cast out and bound by Him who is to put all his
enemies under both his feet and ours If, then, we do not
long for the coming of the Lord, which alone can deliver
us from these enemies without and within, we surely do
not feel the power of corruption, the burden of this " vile
body," — we surely are not alive to the seducing influence

No. 37. — Grace anal Glory. 7

of a sin-accursed earth, — we surely have no realizing expe-
rience of the tyranny and craft of the Evil One !

V. Grace leads us to look for "this blessed hope," —
because by grace we are brought into a state of suffering
and tribulation, from which Christ's coming is to redeem
us. Grace brings along with it many trials to which we
were strangers before. It brings the hatred of the world.
It brings the alienation of friends. It brings ridicule, con-
tempt, and persecution. " I am not come to send peace on
earth, but a sword." To receive this grace is to take up
she cross ; and he who has not taken up his cross has not
received grace. It is to enter upon the path of tribulation,
— for " through much tribulation we must enter the king-
dom "of heaven." Such trials are manifold, — they are
innumerable, and they are hard to bear. It is a thorny
path, even though a Saviour's foot-prints are discerned at
every step before us, and a Saviour's arm is held out for us
to lean upon !

How earnestly, then, should we desire that day which is
to end our tribulation, and introduce us to endless rest !
How truly should that event be to us " a blessed hope," which
is the signal of commencing triumph to the poor afflicted
saints, — which is to unbind the crown, of thorns from the
bleeding forehead of the widowed church, and place upon
her brow the glorious " diadem."

Say not — " Death will end this tribulation to me person-
ally, therefore I need not look beyond that;" for how, let
me ask, do you know that Christ may not be come before
that ? How do you know that your death is to be before
his coming ? Besides, such a feeling as this is selfish in
the extreme. You are a member of the body of Christ, and
you ought to feel for the whole body, and to regard the tri-
bulation as yours whether you be in the midst of it or not.
You ought to long for the day of final deliverance for the
Church's sake as much as for your own. You sympathize
with the past sorrows of the Church — with the sufferings
of the suffering band of martyrs : you feel as if you were
one of them — as if their sufferings were yours. You wrish
that " those days" had been shortened, and would gladly
have shortened them if you could. Ought not, then, the very
same feelings to actuate you with reference to that portion
of Christ's Church which lias yet to encounter days of tri-
bulation ? Ought you not to desire that, " for the elect's

8 No. 37. — Grace and Glory.

sake, these days may be shortened" ? Ought not the con-
sciousness of trouble and suffering in your own case to lead
you to desire the coming of the Lord, that the days of
the Church's tribulation may be ended for ever ?

If you do not desire the coming, there is reason to sus-
spect that you are not bearing the cross. The cross not
being felt, the crown loses half its value, and the coming is
little realised, little longed f6r. It is the burden of the
cross that makes the day of deliverance so desirable in our
eyes — that makes us enter into the meaning of such promises
as these : "If we suffer we shall also reign with him" — " If
we suffer with him we shall be also glorified together," 2 Tim.
ii. 12 ; Rom. viii. 17 ; 1 Peter, iv. 13.

VI. Grace leads us to desire the glorious appearing of
our Lord, because it opens our eyes to see this world's uni-
versal WTetchedness, and makes our hearts tender to mourn
for it. Men speak of this world as a happy world. They
praise it as if it were all but Paradise. And once we, too,
might be disposed to join in their praises, and echo back
their joyous sentiments. Once it seemed to us a peaceful,
pleasant scene, a world of smiles and sunshine, with here and
there only the passing shadow of a cloud to intercept the
tranquil radiance, or tinge with momentary sadness the
hour of mirth. Even disappointment could not dissipate
the gay delusion, nor disenchant the bewildering spell.
Cares and vexations thickened around us ; coldness, deso-
lation, and disease frowned upon us ; broken friendships,
severed relationships, blighted prospects, darkened our path,
and overshadowed our skies; — but even all this could
scarcely make us believe what a wild waste wilderness we
lived in, what a world of wretchedness and crime.

But grace opened our eyes. We saw first that we our-
selves were sinners, and then looking round us we saw with
what a world of sinners we were surrounded. We felt that
we were in wretchedness, and we began to see what a wil-
derness of misery encompassed us on every side. The
dazzling veil was lifted up, and beneath it we saw scenes
that made our hearts bleed at every vein, and heard sounds
of lamentation, mourning, and woe ascending from myriads
of dying sinners who were living without peace, and perish-
ing without hope, and passing into eternity without a par-
don and without a Saviour. It was as if there stood before
us some goodly fabric, built with costly magnificence, and

No. 37. — Grace and Glory. 9

decorated with most inviting architecture. We went round
and round it, admiring it on every side. It seemed so fair
and goodly, — so peaceful a sunshine rested on it, we thought
we should like to dwell within sight of it for ever. And
though now and then a shriek was heard within, or a fune-
ral passed out, yet we heeded not these interruptions. But
at last we were taken in, and the whole dismal interior lay
before us and around us, — a vast hospital of the dying and
the dead, — a mighty " lazar-house of many woes/' Then
when we saw how the whole creation groaned and travailed,
then we felt how infinitely desirable was the day of its
deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glori-
ous liberty of the children of God, how " blessed" was the
" hope" of the coming of the Lord,

Such, then, are the proofs of the statement with which
we set out, that grace, rightly received, makes us long for
the glorious appearing of our Lord. We think they are
sufficient to show that that event ought to be to us a blessed
hope, and that the attitude in which we are called upon to
stand in reference to it, is that of men who are looking and
longing for that which is the uppermost desire of their
hearts.

Such, believer, let the coming of thy Lord be to thee.
Is he not thy friend ? Does his absence not make a dreary
blank ? And art thou not, then, longing for His appearing,
for the day when He and thou shall meet to be parted no
more for ever !

But if these things be true, then what manner of persons
ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness ?
This hope is not only a blessed one, but a holy one. It not
only gladdens, but it sanctifies. He who has this hope in
him is called upon to purify himself, even as Christ is pure.
It brings us more vividly into contact with the Lord, and this
elevates and purifies. It makes us overleap the dreary in-
terval which lies between us and his coming, making us
feel as if he were already with us, and this tends to conform
us to his image.

This grace believed, and glory hoped for, is no barren
over-curious speculation of man. It is the very truth of
God. Were it nothing but man's device, it might be dis-
missed as unprofitable. But it is not so. The grace brings
salvation, and the hope leads us ever onward and upward.
It is like some well-known star in the firmament, not merely
to be gazed at and admired, but serving the storm-vexed

10 No. 37.— Grace and Glory.

seaman as a guide over the trackless waste of ocean. And
may not the low condition of the Church of Christ in these
last days be, in no small measure, traced to her having so
sadly lost sight of that blessed hope, which was esteemed
so precious, by the primitive church, in apostolic days ?
May the Lord not charge us with the indifference of the
unfaithful servant, who said, " My Lord delayeth his com-
ing," and who began forthwith to live in pleasure, as if his
master would never return ? May he not address us in
these last days, as he did Ephesus, "Remember from whence
thou art fallen and repent, and do the first works, or else
I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candle-
stick out of its place, except thou repent."

How awful, sinner, must that day appear to thee ! Thou
hast no hope in it. It is all darkness and sorrow to thee,
the beginning of thy endless woe ! For he comes to exe-
cute the Father's righteous purpose of wrath upon the un-
godly, to take vengeance upon them that know not God,
and that obey not his gospel.

And wilt thou live on unmindful of that coming day of
tribulation and anguish ? It is a day of darkness and
gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morn-
ing spread upon the mountains ! Wilt thou live on in thy
sins, as if there were no sin-avenging Judge, no sin-avenging
day appointed by him, when thou shalt give in thy account
for the deeds done in the body. What will the end be of
all those pleasures in which thou art now swallowing up
every care about the day of wrath ? The beginning may
be pleasant, but what will their end be ? The coming of
the Lord draweth nigh, and thou art yet in thy sins ! Still
reckless of the Judge and of his sentence ! The end of all
things is at hand, and thou art living as if there were to be no
end at all, as if thou wert to live for ever ! The world's
Mighty King will soon be here, and thou art still a rebel,
whose doom shall be the crushing stroke of the iron rod !
And dost thou feel no terror ? Is there no sadness on thy
brow as that awful day approaches, and the signs of its
nearness are becoming visible around thee ? Do you still
say, let us eat and drink and be merry ? Not one sigh for
a participation in the coming glory ? Not one shudder at
the thought of plunging into endless woe ? Not one cry
for mercy, not one tear for all your ungodliness and worldly
lusts ? Darkness is coming, wrath is coming, judgment is
coming, the second death is coming, the eternal night is

No. 37. — Grace ana GJyry. 11

coming, and wilt thou slumber on, as if thou wert on thy
way to heaven, or as if hell were all a fable, and the threat-
ened sorrows of eternity a lie ?

Here is the message of God to thee, " How long, ye simple
ones, will ye love simplicity ? and the scorners delight in
their scorning, and fools hate knowledge ? Turn you at
my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you, I
will make known my words unto you. Because I have
called, and ye refused ; I have stretched out my hand, and
no man regarded ; but ye have set at nought all my coun-
sel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at
your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh ; when
your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction com-
eth as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh
upon you."— Prov. i. 22-27.

Yet there is grace for thee ! The free love of God is
still in the Saviour's hands, and he is dispensing it freely to
all who come! Why, then, reject that free love which
would save even thee ? Why madly thrust away the love,
and choose the wrath ? Why prefer the curse to the bless-
ing of the God that made thee? Yet, behold, this free
love is still held out to thee ! The cup of free grace is once
more pressed to thy lips ! Oh, drink and live for ever.
" Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause dark-
ness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark moun-
tains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the
shadow of death, and make it gross darkness." — Jer. xiii. 16.

Rev. xxii. 20.— "Even so come Lord Jesus.

The Church has waited long

Her absent Lord to see ;
And still in loneliness she waits,

A friendless stranger she.
Age after age has gone,

Sun after sun has set,
And still in weeds of widowhood,

She weeps a mourner yet.

Come then, Lord Jesus, come

Saint after saint on earth

Has lived, and loved, and died,
And as they left us, one by one,

We laid them side by side ;

12 No. 37.— Grace and Glory.

We laid them down to sleep,

TJut not in hope forlorn, —
We laid them but to ripen there

Till the last glorious morn.
Come then, Lord Jesus, come !

The serpent's brood increase.

The powers of hell grow bold,
The conflict thickens, faith is low

And love is waxing cold.
How long, 0 Lord our God,

Holy aud true, and good,
Wilt Thou not judge Thy suffering Church,

Her sighs, and tears, and blood !
Come, then, Lord Jesus, come !

We long to hear Thy voice,

To see Thee face to face,
To share Thy crown and glory then,

As now we share thy grace.
Should not the loving Bride

The absent Bridegroom mourn,
Should she not wear the weeds of grief

Until her Lord return ?

Come then, Lord Jesus, come !

The whole creation groans,

And waits to hear that voice
That shall restore her comeliness,

And make her wastes rejoice.
Come, Lord, and wipe away

The curse, the sin, the stain,
And make this blighted world of ours

Thine own fair world again.
Come then, Lord Jesus, come !

Kelso, May. 1846.

Kelso : John Rutherfurd, Market Place.

Edinburgh: J.Johnstone; W.P.Kennedy ;and C. Ziegler

London : J. Nisbet & Co. Carlisle: J.- F. Whitridge.

Price 4s. (id. per 100.

PRINTED AT THE BORDER WATCH OFFICE, GALASHIELS.

j. per 100.

PRINTED AT THE BORDER \/ATCH OFFICE. GALASHIELS.

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